Support the Troops

Around Memorial Day we often hear words of honor and respect for people who have served in the military. I feel uncomfortable at such times and can’t quite bring myself to join the standard refrain. I’m sure there are faithful soldiers who have fought and died for our freedom, and I try to focus on them, but there are many conflicting feelings.

Even if soldiers felt they were fighting for our freedom, do they deserve honor for participating in the many unjust conflicts that have been and are are being fought? Do they bear some of the responsibility for these wars being fought?

Have there been any just wars? There probably have been, but the more I learn about history the more I see war as unjustified evil, or at the least, a failure to follow the principles of peace.

Memorial Day started after the Civil War, to honor the fallen soldiers of the Union. The Civil War was an atrocity of the highest magnitude, killing 2% of the population.

In modern times the United States enjoys unprecedented power, vastly superior to any other nation. There is no threat to our sovereignty, at least from outside the country, and yet we spend an ever increasing amount of money and blood, mostly the blood of others, to maintain and build what feels like an empire.

I struggle with honoring soldiers these days. I realize that’s a very inflammatory statement, and I don’t wish to be insensitive to the pain of those who have lost loved ones serving in the military. To them and perhaps to many others my words are obscene. However, isn’t it important to ask these hard questions?