Memorial Day began as Decoration Day, when freed slaves cleaned and decorated the graves of Union soldiers. The Civil War, like many wars, is a paradox. It liberated four million human beings, and put Congress on a course toward rewriting the Constitution to guarantee individual liberty for all, not just the freed people. The best aspects of the United States are almost unimaginable with out it. Yet, as General William T. Sherman said, War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it. So here is a salute to the soldiers who died without glory—who died of diarrhea or measles hundreds of miles from any battlefield, who were blown to bits in accidents, who were sent on pointless missions by bungling generals, who were shot down when panicking in combat and were shoveled anonymously into trenches along with dozens of others by the winning side. There are no wars without deaths such as theirs. Along with the heroes, thank the unlucky, the inept, and the cowards, too. Our world is built on their bones.
Posted on: Mon, 26 May 2014 19:25:07 +0000
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