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-- Guest Lecture
--
Bill
Hunt
Response to Memorial Day 2000
Editorial
EWRT2 Gang,
'Tis I again,
Bill Hunt, the vet. We'll call this Guest Lecture
#4.
Printed below
is an Editorial from the Fresno Bee, presented to
readers on Memorial Day, 2000. I gave it considerable
thought, and nearly zipped off a quick retort. The whole
line of thinking, it seemed to me, was interesting but
confused, perhaps even contorted. You may not agree with
my take, and I'm curious about that.
You might even
agree with the Bee. After all, it is not directed at me,
a war vet, it is directed toward your generation, and
those in my generation who might desire to change things
for your generation.
The premise
here is that because of the absence of good old
fashioned war our young people lack sufficient
opportunity to grow their character and help unify the
nation through the honorable sacrifice that every war
demands of all participants. Embedded here are
assumptions around the common use of words like
sacrifice, hero, honor, country, nation, horrors of war
and patriotism.
I have yet to
write a response, but I will. To the extent that this
generates any discussion on the list server, I will
include those thoughts in my response to the Bee. Here,
then, is the Editorial, published by the Fresno Bee,
5/29/2000, titled, "Memorial Day Remembrance Should
Inspire Renewed Commitment":
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"For more than
a century, Americans have set aside a day in late May to
honor those who sacrificed their lives for this country
in wars that, as time passes, are remembered more as
history learned than as events experienced. And as
technology changes the nature of war -- as in last
year's high-altitude air campaign against Serbia -- our
personal connection to such sacrifices becomes even more
remote. Ceremonies are still held, of course, and for
those who take note, they still summon feelings of
gratitude and reflection. Yet the mix of myth and
history that help to sustain these sentiments,
especially for Americans who have never worn a uniform
or seen the horrors of war, may not always suffice to
make us understand and appreciate the sacrifices made or
those that may be needed again. In that context, it's
worth noting that the United States is more than a
sovereign state with defined geographical boundaries; it
is also a nation. Yet its increasing diversity and
individual self-absorption have eroded traditional
attributes of nationhood. To endure and thrive as a
nation, Americans need more than common laws, a common
economy, common schooling and a vague amalgam of
cultural conversation pieces. They need common values,
which are best nurtured through common experiences in
common institutions. One way of preserving and
strengthening shared values in such a diverse country is
through some form of national service. For various
reasons, military conscription is unlikely to be
revived, except in extreme circumstances that are hard
to imagine now. Even those who fear that our armed
forces are now stretched too thinly don't advocate a
return to the draft. Yet the idea of national service --
even universal service -- is valid, not only to instill
a sense of patriotism or civic-mindedness but to enable
all young people to learn more about their country, its
system and its values while making their own
contributions, whether by teaching English to immigrant
children, caring for the elderly or toiling on public
works projects. Such forms of service already exist but
are limited, often because they fall prey to parsimony
and political agendas. That's shortsighted: Public
service already attracts too few talented people, and
one way of changing that would be to create
opportunities for youth at the grass roots. Whether they
later enter politics, the civil service or the private
sector, they would take with them a sense of shared
values too often missing today. What has this to do with
the heroism we remember on this day? A lot. As a recent
book about the six young Marines who raised the U.S.
flag on Iwo Jima island 55 years ago makes clear, the
three who survived didn't see themselves as heroes, just
as men who did their job. In so doing, they
displayed uncommon valor in a common pursuit. We
can honor their sacrifice not only by pausing in
grateful thanks on Memorial Day but by doing more to
prepare new generations of young Americans for service
that might require some of them to risk their lives for
their
country."
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