Yesterday was one of those special days. Special because we remembered ordinary people who gave their lives to keep us free. Special because those who gave up so much were not Presidents or heroes we remember by name. We remembered those whose names may never actually cross our lips. Every now and then, we “knew” someone who fought in one of those far off places in a war that we don’t really remember.
Strange, that I remember so many of the conflicts. My earliest memory is that of President Roosevelt announcing the end of WWII. Then came so many others – my step-dad headed for Korea, my uncle in Turkey, Korea and other places. High school friends who perished on foreign lands.
Now, it is children of friends or fathers of younger families I know who put their lives at risk. Today, many people have a difficult time understanding the “evil” that creates hate and death. But a look back in history will show that the “evil” has always been with us – it is when it is uncaged (for whatever reason) that it begins to march across the land spewing it’s venom on others. The evil reaches out and grabs hold of other peoples minds and convinces them to join forces.
Then we have war. People die because of hate. They die because the God of the universe has not been heard and followed.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m no “anti-war activist” – just know that when evil is allowed to flourish, good people perish at the hands of bad people. It’s kinda the job of governments to protect the people, but we are the people.
Just in case you want definitions, don’t expect any thing more from me – I’ve seen Hitler and Saddam and Osama and a few others.