One Value of Gathering to Remember; Thoughts about Memorial Day

I attended the parade and speeches this Memorial Day in Port Washington and was glad that so many people did. To remember and honor those who gave their lives believing they died to keep America free is, I believe, a very significant event. A number of veterans from various wars spoke briefly, prayers were offered, the high school band played in what was a very respectful event. 
One speaker, and forgive me for not remembering names, observed that all soldiers hope that the war they participate in will be the last war but that, as history had proven, this has not been the case so far. He stated that nearly one million soldiers have died in the conflicts this country has been involved in since and including the American Revolution. That is a very serious number indeed and one that I would hope would give us pause to ask ourselves a very serious question, "How many more?" 

References were made numerous times by various speakers to "the real meaning of Memorial Day." There seemed to be an assumption that this meaning is self-evident or that, as one speaker had it, the meaning is remembering these that made the ultimate sacrifice for life, liberty and justice, or from another, that these were protecting God, Country and freedom. Remembering young Americans who rose to the call of their government, taking up arms with the ideal of preserving the freedom or security is important. Remembering that so many of them died in this process is very important. Remembering, beyond this, that many more return home with wounds that are physical or mental is just as important. But memory alone does none of them any good. The service was respectful, it takes work to organize parades, to write speeches, but this one hour event, one day a year, does the fallen and the walking wounded little if any good in and of itself. 

What do we do with memory? What lessons do we draw from these deaths? Do we continue about our business submitting to some notion that "this is just the way it goes," on this planet, that there will always be wars...so there is no point to try to transcend the reasons that drove these million to their untimely deaths? Were their lives lost in a sort of perpetual function of the negative side of what it is to be human...that we are all, on some level, warriors and, consequently, these wars will go on?

I would hope that one million people didn't die just so we can remember, once a year, that they died. I would hope that one million people didn't die just so that we remember there are people this patriotic, that they will risk and give their lives for their nation or beliefs. People ARE this patriotic, especially young people, and in EVERY country, in every political system, there are those who will stand for their causes at the risk of death. We should know this by now. We do not need more to die to get this point. I truly hope that one million did not die to protect "God" along with country. In any conception of God I have heard, God does not need protection. Moreover, as with the patriots or nationalists in other lands, the opposition frequently believe in God as well.

To me, one of the most greivous aspects that frequent Memorial Day celebrations is when some well meaning minister or speaker tries to stamp God or Christ with the colors of American foreign policy, particularly that of war. If there is a minister in this town who will stand up and say that Christ would have wanted us to launch wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, and that Christ would support, or does support, our tactics there.... I would be sincerely shocked. I would like to discuss that with him or her at length. German soldiers, of course, were Christians as well... and Christians in that war killed Christians, in the same way Muslims kill Muslims in other wars. To do so is in clear violation of the teachings of both the founders of those religions. In our American War of Independence, again, Christians killed Christians and the same in the Civil War. Trying to pull Christ into this, who's life was certainly the anti-thesis of violence, greatly obscures the meaning of the day. I hope millions didnt die to defend Christ. Many of the millions were not Christians, and one may imagine that a Jewish veteran will not like hearing these wars portrayed to be Christian missions. Moreover Christ didn't need defending and His example, was not to take up arms and die in the process of killing others. I think we need to really consider this point. 

One million people, I would think, hoped they were acting towards making the world a more peaceful place. I would guess, most of them, would greatly have prefered to live out their full lives, in peace, with their fellow human beings...would have preferred that the world managed its affairs in peaceful ways. I think, that a deep part of the real meaning of this event...was barely touched upon today... that the day should stand as a day we seriously vow that we want these wars to end, that we dont want our grandchildren, to attend services when two million American soldiers have fallen. (Two hundred million people died in the twentieth century as a result of wars and military conflicts). 

What is gained if nothing is learned from this serious serious lesson?