Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Lest We Forget

4 comments:

Jamie A. Grant said...

Now, there's a statement, especially in comparison to Lawyer Kid's post for today. My wife's parents and siblings fled during the Vietnam War so this photo is more than just rhetoric to me. On the other side, my grandfather fought in the Korean War and I'm proud of that and I have met a number of Koreans that are grateful to Canada for that...

Mike said...

I don't get it. My grandfather fought in WWII; he was a part of the unit that eventually became the green berets. Ok, I'm proud of that, 'cause it really is kinda cool. I'm otherwise lost on the pride of having a soldier family member, though. Things aren't sacred just because a family member did it.

Wars are fought for strategic reasons (in the Korean case, Incheon harbor and the domino theory). They always are. Let's not forget that. War should never, ever be anything other than a source of regret. Never pride.

Jamie A. Grant said...

Mmm, I'm proud of the sacrifice that my grandfather made. He was willing to give up his life for the sake of others, which is a rare thing these days. And I'm proud of the result. Several South Korean kids have told me that they're very grateful to Canada and have specifically said that they're grateful to my grandfather, too.

Proud of war? Proud of killing? Not so much. I don't think that my grandfather is proud of it, either, since he rarely speaks about the fighting and he only tells stories about how he marched for the Queen's coronation. That says something, I think.

War is hell-on-earth, as your picture shows.

Mike said...

Korean kids are nothing if not astute observers of history and politics.

Yesterday I watched one eat a giant booger.