This is a very thoughtful essay and I appreciate it. I, too, am a veteran, and realize that military service is a complicated issue. Of course it can involve immense sacrifice on the part of those who serve, but the role of war in the US empire is essentially an issue of destruction rather than defense. Even World War II, the so-called “good war” was not good and the conflict with Japan is a terribly complicated issue. As a student of history I have often thought of what might have been with other alternatives and responses. And certainly even that war has fueled the continual development of our military culture and mindset. I suppose I even have thought of it in the light of a loved uncle’s experience as a medic in that war, from which he survived and suffered the rest of his life along with his beloved wife and my aunt, a nurse who suffered along with him.
I think, too, of people like Howard Zinn who served as a bomber in WWII and then later became a powerful opponent of war. He well understood that no matter who may be better or “good” at the outset, once a war gets underway, all sides commit atrocities and crimes.
I counseled Viet Nam era soldiers while in the Army, it truly was a mess, and I left because I saw the result of national policies and politics that were anything but noble or productive of good. This is a complex issue in an empire, but “honoring the warriors” is not the solution in any sense. Yes, indeed, love your loved ones, but…well, enough said. Certainly Mr. Scipes has tried to say it.
This is a very thoughtful essay and I appreciate it. I, too, am a veteran, and realize that military service is a complicated issue. Of course it can involve immense sacrifice on the part of those who serve, but the role of war in the US empire is essentially an issue of destruction rather than defense. Even World War II, the so-called “good war” was not good and the conflict with Japan is a terribly complicated issue. As a student of history I have often thought of what might have been with other alternatives and responses. And certainly even that war has fueled the continual development of our military culture and mindset. I suppose I even have thought of it in the light of a loved uncle’s experience as a medic in that war, from which he survived and suffered the rest of his life along with his beloved wife and my aunt, a nurse who suffered along with him.
I think, too, of people like Howard Zinn who served as a bomber in WWII and then later became a powerful opponent of war. He well understood that no matter who may be better or “good” at the outset, once a war gets underway, all sides commit atrocities and crimes.
I counseled Viet Nam era soldiers while in the Army, it truly was a mess, and I left because I saw the result of national policies and politics that were anything but noble or productive of good. This is a complex issue in an empire, but “honoring the warriors” is not the solution in any sense. Yes, indeed, love your loved ones, but…well, enough said. Certainly Mr. Scipes has tried to say it.