It’s Veterans Day / Remembrance Day today and I wake up with the same conflict I do every year. As a person morally and practically opposed to war, how do I honor the young men and women who served our country without supporting the wars they died for?
What happened to “Armistice Day”?
President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day in 1919 with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
So from the very beginning, even before Congress changed it to “Veterans Day” in 1954 (http://www.history.army.mil/faq/vetsday/vetshist.htm), the focus was not on Peace. It was not a powerful plea to never let this happen again, to never again sacrifice our youth to the violence of war. It was a tribute to the bravery or sacrifice of those who died in battle, a celebration of war victories over evil, and a vindication of the efficacy of war as a means of defending freedom or sovereignty.
Why Honor the Dead?
Most articles and ceremonies today will focus on the tragic sacrifice of millions of young men and women in war, and the families who suffered those losses. Every one of their deaths is a true tragedy. But we don’t have national days of mourning for those who die from cancer or drunk driving or construction accidents, so why this special tribute for fallen soldiers?
One reason would be the extreme nature of their sacrifice. The certain death that at least some of them knew they were signing up for. The terrifying conditions they lived and fought under. The deep sense of duty and service that compelled them to join and continue serving. Many of these men and women died valiantly for a cause they deeply believed in, and despite my opposition to war I have deep respect for such unfailing commitment to one’s beliefs.
At a personal level, there will be many genuine, heartfelt tears for those of us who suffered personal loss or who share the world’s pain for these losses. I truly honor and share these tears - natural expressions of the love and grief that touch all of us.
But I also believe that we are doing a disservice to those who died when we don’t learn from their deaths. Ceremonies and articles today will use their battle and death to paint war as a noble and necessary act, turning Veterans Day into a virtual recruitment tool for the armed forces. While we are emotional and vulnerable, we will be reminded how fortunate we are that the soldiers made that sacrifice, and how important it is that more young men and women continue to serve the armed forces to continue to protect our freedom and liberties.
Never Again
Instead of leveraging our sadness to strengthen our support for war and the military, why can’t we use that same sadness to strengthen our resolve for Peace? Why can’t the main message of today be to firmly resolve that this will never happen again?
Kudos to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who used a speech at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra to issue a call for peace.
“We have all endured a most bloody century. Let us resolve afresh at the dawn of this new century… that this might be a truly pacific peaceful century.”
At 11:00 this morning, and many times today, I will pause to pay tribute to those who have died in war. I will honor their commitment to their ideals, and grieve at their losses. But the greatest honor I can offer them is to promise that I have learned from their experience and will do my best to work towards a new day when young men and women do not have to die as they did. We can and must work together to find Peaceful ways to achieve a just and safe world. Only then can we truly say that they did not die in vain.
Photo by Son of Groucho.
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