Memorial Day
This is a picture from one of the columbariums at the Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of many of those who served the United States since the middle of the 19th century.
That is my Father’s marker. He didn’t know those located around his marker, but they all shared service to their country as part of their life.
The country continues to ask for service and people still respond to that call. As you think about the sacrifices represented by Arlington and other cemeteries, ask yourself if you have done what you could to prevent misuse of the willingness of some to serve.
It is rather for us the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us–that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion–that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
6 comments
I *met* a young woman (from Pennsylvania) on Pinterest who was posting some nice photo’s of various military aircraft that I liked and we got to *chatting* via comments. She said “Thank you for your service. My dad served 2 tours with the Navy in Vietnam and if he taught me anything (which is plenty) but always said to thank a vet. So thanks!” And it was a pleasant surprise, and I thought of you and your Dad, and my Grandfather and all those I knew who served. And for a moment… it was all good. 🙂 There are some wonderful people around who make all the trouble we had, worth it. 🙂
Every year I say something about your Dad here, and I will every year you have this blog. Your Dad served with honor, and by your accounts, was a great Man. He deserved all our respect, not just because he served, but because of who he was, and because he helped make you the Man you are m8!! And for all of that, I salute him, and truly wish I could have met him.
Rest, in Peace William George Dumka! It wasn’t in vain.
As always, my sincere thanks for your service and your Father’s, Bryan, and also to every other veteran. However casually our current government may neglect its veterans, “we the people” remember and appreciate what you have done.
“… ask yourself if you have done what you could to prevent misuse of the willingness of some to serve.” I did exactly that. After 50 years of dithering (after all who would want to be responsible to Presidents like Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush I when taking the oath of citizenship? Even Clinton had issues.) then came Bush II, the Oedipally complicated president equipped with his own Rasputin. I finally realized that by not stepping up and voting that I was part of the problem. On June 22, 2007 I took the oath and have voted in every election since.
Admittedly, a single vote doesn’t seem like much but actually is worth a great deal since so many have spent blood, toil and tears to preserve it.
I appreciate the thought, Kryten, and while I haven’t said it directly, what you did was a good thing because you did it for all the right reasons and you made things better than they were or would have been if you hadn’t done it. We don’t get to make the ‘big decisions’, so it is vital that we do what we can. when we can, to leave the world a better place.
Steve, my Dad and uncles, like your Dad and uncle did what was needed, because it was needed. They served with honor and that is more than many with a great deal more power and money can claim.
Shirt, I thank you for getting involved. We end up with the lousy government we have because people won’t even make the effort to vote. The US government gets elected by being chosen by about 30% of the voting population of the US. Young people get screwed over because they don’t vote. Poor people get screwed over because they don’t vote. I keep trying to convince people to make the effort, but they just don’t see the connection between voting and their lives.
Thanks Bryan. I understand. Everything I saw & did during that time led me to two conclusions that I cannot ignore, or ever forget. Humans are mostly weak, self-obsessed and evil. There are exceptions, and I met people who were the opposite. Mostly, are called ‘victims’ and sadly, many don’t even know they are victims… until it’s too late. The second is, none of it should have been *necessary*. Everything I did and saw could have been avoided, if only Humans spent more time thinking about *consequences* and less time thinking about how they can get whatever they want without regard to consequences. And though American’s (generally) are past masters at this, they are most certainly not alone! The bastards like Pol Pot, bin Laden, Hussein and others that stupid Americans in power manipulated and put where they could commit evil upon their fellow Humans. And none of it was done for any kind of ‘National Security’, it was all done for the basest of motives, greed and irrational fear. The British, Russians/Soviets, French, Germans, Spanish and many others are also guilty of this, though generally to lesser degrees.
The only people making ‘the big decisions’ are narcissistic greedy cowards. And that’s the World we live in. I did none of it for them. I did it for the peasants who were worth nothing to those in charge. If I had a choice to save a single good peasant, or a hundred wealthy bastards, I’ll happily kill the bastards myself. I learned things I was not supposed to, a little of which they discovered I knew which is why they slapped a long NDA on me. All of it was simply to control the truth. But the truth has a way of squirming out! 😉 🙂
I know my Grandfather & Mother would have understood (well, I know my Mom did thankfully I was able to discuss this with her before her end. She told me she was proud of me, though I was not proud of myself, I always believed I could have done more). Perhaps your Dad also would have understood, and you. 🙂
In his book, Interesting Times, Pratchett makes the extremely important peint that people who are bent on making major changes in a society almost always claim to be doing it for “The People”, but never bother to ask “The People” what they want. The real troubles always start with groups who have different concept of what ‘The People” need, and resort to violence to impose their vision.
Americans have a fatal flaw in believing that the entire world really wants to be Americans. Only one other country, Switzerland, has a constitution that is based on the same principles as the US Constitution. The vast majority of democracies are based on the British model.
Those of us on the bottom of the pecking order need to satisfy our own moral code because the people at the top generally don’t have one. As long as we stay true to ourselves and our code, we have done the best we could do. We all want to have done more, but if we had tried, the people at the top would have removed our ability to do anything.