Times-News had a letter to the editor in the Monday addition by Dave Crockett. In the letter he is complaining that we honor the warriors that keep us free with memorials. He states by doing this we glorify war and its profits, and ignore the peacemakers. This couldn't be further from the truth. I come from a family that served in our nations armed forces from the beginning; the Revolution, the Civil War, World War I & II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and conflicts unnamed. They did not fight for glory, they fought for freedom and peace.
Ronald Reagan on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day at Omaha Beach said, " We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free." Through memorials we do not honor war, we honor the warrior peacemaker. We honor the sacrifices that our young men and women make to insure we have peace.
Crockett spoke of Ellen McDaniel-Weissler, and Craig Etchison. These people do not advocate peace, they rail against war. They offer no solution to the dictator that wants to take away peace and freedom through force of arms. Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak, or the timid."
These memorials we erect honor the real peacemakers the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines that defend this nation in times of war and peace. Mr. Crockett is free to speak his mind because a solider stood his ground at Bunkerhill. He is free to speak his mind because another solider made a charge a Gettysburg. He is free because a Marine went over the top at Belleau Wood, because a sailor stayed at his gun at Pearl Harbor, and because an airman flew his B-17 to Berlin.
Nobody longs for peace more than the soldier, and nobody will secure peace but the solider. When you sleep safe in your bed tonight, thank.. no... honor the soldier that is thousands of miles away from his family in a place he doesn't want to be, for he is the true peacemaker.
Much as we would like to think otherwise, violence is a part of the human condition. In this world live those that produce and those that prefer the easier path. Often that means envy and sometimes attacks against the productive. Whether you are talking about an individual or a nation, being armed AND demonstrating the willingness to defend yourself means that you are less likely to be attacked. Osama Bin Laden has said repeatedly that he attacked the US because it seemed unwilling to defend its assets, territory, or honor in any meaningful way. Japan attacked the US in part because we responded to an attack on our warship USS Panay with economic sanctions instead of violence ( as the Red Army did when the Japanese also "accidentally" attacked them.) The vulnerable have a greater chance of being victimized.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who have not served in the armed forces yo really cant speak for the ones that did. I being a veteran of the Air Force served overseas for my country and would proudly do it again. We must do what we have to do to keep our freedoms. I really dont care for wars but with all the terrorists that is out there it will always be a necessity.
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