There really is no way to avoid addressing the significance of today. I have pondered what would be the best way to honour this day in a way that would prove worthy, and I have come to the conclusion that the best way is to talk about it... to acknowledge what it stands for and what it will continue to stand for if we do just that. We have to remember...
For reasons I do not know, and for as long as I can remember, I have had a fascination with the World Wars, especially WWll. Maybe it is because I had a number of uncles serve in that war? That would seem logical, however not one of them would ever talk about their experience, so I was only privy to the bare basics. I do know that one uncle was wounded and in the confusion of the battle crawled back into enemy territory thinking it was his regiment. He was a POW for only a short while though as the allied troops managed to overtake the Germans and his freedom was won... but he would never talk about it. He could not bear to watch film coverage that was shown on TV; there was still so much trauma involved. Another uncle was serving overseas repairing fighting planes and was called into the office one day as he had a phone call from home to let him know that Grandpa had had a stroke. As he turned to head back to the plane he was working on, a bomb dropped and destroyed it along with his best friend and other workmates. But for that phone call, it would have been him. He struggled to come to terms with that reality, and was plagued with migraines throughout his life as a result. So, this war was somewhat personal to me by extension. And yet that fact was not what really created my obsession; what caused my interest was in the 'WHY' of war. Why did a relatively progressive country get duped by such evil? Why did they feel they had a right to rule Europe? How could they not see the depravity of it all? Why did they fall for the same propaganda that brought on the first war only to relive it in the second? There is a part of me that feels sorrow for Germany as they will never be released from this history; and yet to insure that it never happens again, they should not be. 'The sins of the father shall be visited upon their sons...'
There are some things we must never forget.
I watch a lot of documentaries about the great wars and each time I am humbled by the devastation left in it's wake. Cities in ruins, bodies lying everywhere; even the horses and cattle are left burning and bloated in the fields. Then there are the veterans who carry their stories to the grave, each year given the opportunity to re-live the pain and shock of killing or be killed. Watching friends and brothers blown to pieces before their eyes. That is their nightmare; that is their reality.
I have always had a very difficult time watching my son play war games on video or computer. To me it somehow glamourizes something that is not meant to be pretty. I see young Muslims ready to blow themselves up because they are led to believe it's glorious. They have their whole lives ahead of them and yet they choose the 'war is honor' code. Funny how you never see the Muslim clergy stepping up to that plate... no, it's the innocents that bear the weight of our conflicts. It's the 10 year old boys carrying the guns and shielding the warlords. Our wars are fought for oil and money; not freedom, not democracy. This is the hell that we have to face. This should not be our legacy for our children.
I am feeling particularly sensitive this 11:11 as we are soon to see our oldest son enter into military service. A mixture of pride and fear sometimes overwhelms as I struggle to maintain composure. I will have to say goodbye for a very long time and that will not be easy. Still, I know he is doing the right thing for him, and for that I am proud. He will be serving our country, and for that I am grateful.
May God keep us out of war.
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