IT IS THE SOLDIER

By William L. Garvin

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
-Attributed to John McCrae (1872-1918)

On Memorial Day, Americans of every political persuasion and stripe, stopped to thank those who paid the ultimate price to insure that we remain the land of the free.  For every man and woman who has served this country, it can be said that "all gave some and some gave all."  There can be no doubt that the pen owes a great debt to the sword and there can be no greater debt than to those who have died in service to our country.  One would think that there would be a singleness and unanimity of purpose in pausing for solemn remembrance of our fallen heroes.

Unfortunately, there are those who lack both a sense of perspective and a sense of propriety.  Witness the following thoughts of MSNBC commentator Chris Hayes on Memorial Day:  "Thinking today and observing Memorial Day, that'll be happening tomorrow. Just talked with Lt. Col. Steve Burke [sic, actually Beck], who was a casualty officer with the Marines and had to tell people [inaudible]. Um, I, I, ah, back sorry, um, I think it's interesting because I think it is very difficult to talk about the war dead and the fallen without invoking valor, without invoking the words "heroes." Um, and, ah, ah, why do I feel so comfortable [sic] about the word "hero"? I feel comfortable, ah, uncomfortable, about the word because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war. Um, and, I don't want to obviously desecrate or disrespect memory of anyone that's fallen, and obviously there are individual circumstances in which there is genuine, tremendous heroism: hail of gunfire, rescuing fellow soldiers and things like that. But it seems to me that we marshal this word in a way that is problematic. But maybe I'm wrong about that."

Well, Chrissie, you couldn't be more wrong if you had three left feet!  Let me put it to you this way, a buck private on the day he or she raises their right hand and swears to defend the Constitution and our country has more "heroism" in their little pinkie finger than you have in your entire pontificating political persona.  If you find that to be "problematic," then you'll just have to run to your shrink and work it out.  While you're there, see if you can "rhetorically proximate" a justification to take a personal stand on something you would personally fight for.  After all, if you can't stand for something, you'll probably stand for anything.  Thank God our country has better men and women than you!

Apparently you've never read or understood the poem "It is the Soldier" by Charles Province:

"It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag."

Freedom has never been free.  It would be nice if all those who enjoy the freedoms bought and paid for by the blood and lives of others would show a modicum of respect and responsibility.  God Bless our Warriors and God Bless our Heroes!