3 results for tag: Veterans
Rethinking Militarism
We have a culture in this country of violence and militarism. Many of our national myths are based on violence. The six-gun toting cowboy, the tough cop, the military hero, and mafia godfather are typical Hollywood themes. Even our national anthem is all about war and “bombs bursting in air.”
Around patriotic holidays, like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, this culture is promoted with speeches honoring the “sacrifice” of our troops. They died to “defend freedom” and protect our way of life. Implied in these stories is that our many wars were necessary and justified. In our zeal to honor military service we create a mythology of ...
Honor the Fallen Not the Wars
On Memorial Day we remember those who died serving in the military. But remembering their sacrifice should also remind us of the futility and costs of war. We should mourn the fallen without glorifying and promoting war.
Too often in eulogizing veterans we unintentionally promote war. The story line is that we owe our freedom to the sacrifices of military veterans in just wars. This is not true, but saying so is unpatriotic.
It is not true that all our wars have been necessary, just, or in defense of freedom. Many have been illegal. Most have been about protecting commercial interests, expanding territory, or opposing other ideologies and ...
Veterans Day Reality
On Veterans Day I am reminded of the many popular misconceptions about veterans. We have an almost cult hero worship of veterans and their “sacrifice” for “freedom.”
The truth is veterans are just people. They reflect a cross section of our society. They have the same mix of dedication, patriotism, and competence as other public employees. They also exhibit the same prejudices, character flaws, and foibles as the general population. The periodic scandals (rape, torture, killing of civilians, sexual harassment, cheating on competency tests) clearly illustrate this point.
It is a myth that we owe our freedom to veterans. Our many wars were ...