“U.S. law officially proclaims Memorial Day ‘as a day of prayer for permanent peace’.” Thus begins an article by Bill Quigley, law professor at the Loyola University New Orleans. Professor Quigley goes on to say: “the U.S. is much closer to permanent war than permanent peace.
“Corporations are profiting from wars and lobbying politicians for more. The US, and the rest of the world, cannot afford the rising personal and financial costs of permanent war.”
Today on the news it was casually mentioned that the 1000th death of an American took place in the war in Afghanistan. I remember how every anniversary of 1000 deaths of American soldiers in the war in Iraq was remembered by the peace community with a memorial service.
I found these anniversaries like Memorial Day, to honor those who have died in war, difficult. It is not that I do not feel sad and want to honor those who have died in war, I do. However, I have a difficult time with those who say how we must honor the dead by fighting more in a war that I consider unjust and immoral. They say we need to fight on and more must die so those who died will not have died in vain. I just do not believe we should remember and honor fallen soldiers by more war and killing.
How do we honor soldiers, especially those who have died or been injured, yet resist these “permanent wars”, which profit the corporations and politicians but leave our country less safe and security? How do we resist war and respect soldiers?
I look to the various veteran peace groups for leadership. These veterans know the horrors of war and want not to glorify war but to stop war and bring the soldiers home.
One of the early casualties of the Iraq War was a young man whom I had known as a youth minister at his church. At his funeral I was full of mixed emotions. I felt great sorrow and sadness for the loss of this young person who, I knew, was full of life. Yet I was upset when I heard the traditional gun-fire salute outside of the Church.
Memorial Day was created “as a day of prayer for permanent peace” yet it comes when the USA is in a state of “permanent war”.
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