Sacrifice

It’s Memorial Day weekend. That means it’s time for lots of speeches about the price of freedom and sacrifices made. It’s time to remember those who gave their lives in service to their country. It’s time to respect those who made choices that cost them and their families dearly.

I’m always a little sad on Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day. Not because so many people lost their lives or suffered mental or physical anguish in defense of the United States. Rather, it’s because the emphasis is always on one side of the contract – we always remember the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines and what they did. We never consider the fact that a contract runs two ways. Our servicepeople agree to put their lives at risk to defend the Constitution and the United States. But there’s an implied promise from the government that they will be sacrificed sensibly – in defense of the nation.

“If you love your freedom, thank a vet,” reads a popular bumper sticker. Thing is, I’d have to thank vets who fought in World War II. They defended the nation against attack. I would also feel obligated to thank a vet who served in Afghanistan. Those guys are trying to quash a really dangerous fiend and his followers.

But, while they were advancing U.S. interests, did the veterans of Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, and the two Gulf Wars defend my freedom? Was the United States under attack from North Korea, North Vietnam, Grenada, or Iraq?

The Presidents who ordered those missions would no doubt say yes, but it seems to me those were wars of ideology. Korea and Vietnam were about stopping communism in Asia. Iraq is ostensibly about combating terrorism, and Grenada was about . . . what exactly? Except for Grenada, a lot of soldiers died in those wars, and, on Memorial Day, I can’t help but wonder if their sacrifices were fair. That is, was it right to ask them to lay down their lives for the causes they fought?

I’m not wise enough to answer that question fully, but I do know that the government has a responsibility to be careful in what it asks of its servicepeople. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines willingly agree to die for their country. The country then has an obligation to make sure such a sacrifice is justified by the mission. We need leadership that understands this. Ordering people to die for a cause is an awful decision. It should not be made lightly, nor should it be made solely in the name of ideology.