In an opinion posted at NewsTrib.com November 5, the writer Michael Hall writes that he loathes Veterans Day. “I don’t glorify but rather vilify this perversion of a day that should be mourned for its stupidity not reveled for its insanity,” he writes. OPEN FORUM (NOV 5) VETERANS DAY SHOULD NOT BE CELEBRATED
.News Tribune - Sound Off - Open Forum (Nov. 5): Veterans Day should not be celebrated
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It is unfortunate that Hall feels this way and I don’t agree with him. I believe it is good that American citizens feel compelled to come to the aid of their country. There have been times in the past when there was no real justification for war, but that is a decision the military leaves to the politicians we elect. A warrior’s responsibility is to protect and defend. Case-in-point would be World War II -- When allied forces entered concentration camps soldiers were overwhelmed by the mass of humanity – the men, women and children who were barely alive – at the same time these soldiers were repulsed by the stench from rotting bodies. Hall writes that he deplores war -- Most civilized people deplore war. However, there are times when war is justified -- consider the six million fellow human beings who were killed simply for the religion they practiced, their sexual preference or because they were gypsies – they needed our help. We dropped the ball because we knew about the atrocities early in the war and we did nothing – should we have also dropped the ball by not entering the war? I think not.
Yes, war is horrific – and we hope the day will come when there are no more wars. But the reality is that there are some in the world who wish to inflict their will on others, exploit fellow humans and feel no remorse when they murder – often they are world leaders with the power to threaten humanity. Until human beings learn how to raise children who grow up to respect humanity and do not exploit others or inflict their power and will on innocent citizens there will be a need to defend and protect our nation and other law-abiding nations.
Regardless of our feelings about war we still need to honor the brave men and women who have served our nations, particularly the men and women who gave their lives for this country. The service members who landed on Normandy on June 6, 1944 and pushed their way into France and Europe were there for a noble cause – eventually they defeated Germany and helped to liberate those concentration camps and end the carnage and thus deserve to be honored.
Copyright © Sharon D. Powell, 2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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