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I am grateful to every man and woman, gay and straight, combat or not, who has worn the American uniform. Among them were four of my immediate relatives (father and three uncles), plus ancestors going back to Captain Evan Evans of the Pennsylvania volunteers, who came to American in 1750 and fought for his new land beginning in 1776, plus my cousin's two sons, Robert and Charles, who are currently serving in the hell of Iraq and Afghanistan. I thank them, and I pray that someday, somehow, future generations will be spared the agony of war.
For some reason I am reminded of an old poem by Siegfried Sassoon. He fought in the trenches during the War to End All Wars, and had this to say to the "patriots" who cheered the war but somehow never made it over to France to join the glorious battle against the Boche:
'They'
The Bishop tells us: 'When the boys come back
They will not be the same; for they'll have fought
In a just cause: they lead the last attack
On Anti-Christ; their comrades' blood has bought
New right to breed an honourable race,
They have challenged Death and dared him face to face.'
'We're none of us the same!' the boys reply.
'For George lost both his legs; and Bill's stone blind;
Poor Jim's shot through the lungs and like to die;
And Bert's gone syphilitic: you'll not find
A chap who's served that hasn't found some change.'
And the Bishop said: 'The ways of God are strange!'
God bless and keep the ones who fought and suffered and suffer still, whether they speak their pain or not. And may the God of Justice reward in kind those who sit home and pontificate about the glories of war and battle and death while letting others bleed and die in their place.
For some reason I am reminded of an old poem by Siegfried Sassoon. He fought in the trenches during the War to End All Wars, and had this to say to the "patriots" who cheered the war but somehow never made it over to France to join the glorious battle against the Boche:
'They'
The Bishop tells us: 'When the boys come back
They will not be the same; for they'll have fought
In a just cause: they lead the last attack
On Anti-Christ; their comrades' blood has bought
New right to breed an honourable race,
They have challenged Death and dared him face to face.'
'We're none of us the same!' the boys reply.
'For George lost both his legs; and Bill's stone blind;
Poor Jim's shot through the lungs and like to die;
And Bert's gone syphilitic: you'll not find
A chap who's served that hasn't found some change.'
And the Bishop said: 'The ways of God are strange!'
God bless and keep the ones who fought and suffered and suffer still, whether they speak their pain or not. And may the God of Justice reward in kind those who sit home and pontificate about the glories of war and battle and death while letting others bleed and die in their place.
