America is an effort
Lessons in history – and on the art of being human – from David McCullough.
All posts tagged: Veteran’s Day
November 11th
Veterans Day is a good time to remember the fight for peace.
Hearing the Voice of God
My friend, the writer Janet Hulstrand, lives in France, where she makes observations on literature and life. On November 11th, she wrote a wonderful blog post entitled, In France, It’s Still Called Armistice Day. Janet begins her post as follows: “The war memorial in our little village in Champagne is much like the war memorials found in every little village in France I’ve ever been in: on three sides of the base are carved the names of those who gave their lives “pour la France” during World War I. And on the fourth side, the names of those lost in World War II. The German invasion of France in 1940, just 22 years after the end of World War I, was achieved with stunning speed. And forever after the French have endured shallow, frivolous jokes about that defeat, which was of course anything but funny.“ Those who make jokes about French resistance (or lack thereof) are usually right-wing blowhards who generally did everything in their power to avoid military service. But as Janet notes, the massive …
Honoring Our Veterans
On this Veteran’s Day 2009, we honor those who have served and continue to serve in our armed forces. In my immediate family, that includes my father, a World War II Navy veteran, and my brother Joe, who served in the Navy on a helicopter carrier during the 1980s. I am always proud of their service, but don’t always remember to tell them so except on special days of honor such as this. Both survived their time of service. But men and women join the military knowing that they may have to make the ultimate sacrifice. Most expect that if that happens, it will occur on a foreign battlefield. None expect it to happen on a United States military installation on U.S. soil. President Obama’s short but eloquent tribute yesterday to the 13 men and women who died last week at Fort Hood is a reminder of what their sacrifice means. This is a time of war. Yet these Americans did not die on a foreign field of battle. They were killed here, on American …
MORE TO COME... 