It's Memorial Day, and it's a good time to honor and remember the patriots who have given up their lives to defend our country and protect our country.I don't want to take away from those people who fought in honorable wars, defending ourselves from the enemies of freedom. Every war has victims and some give up their lives willingly for the cause, and some don't. There are casualties and victims and heroes on all sides of wars, and we should remember them all, even those we fought against. They fought for a cause too, and although it wasn't ours, they also gave their lives. And we should remember them all.
Yes, that includes the soldiers who have lost their lives in wars that I don't approve of, or thought were immoral. It includes soldiers killed by friendly fire, and innocent civilians who were murdered by soldiers on terrible orders.
I also want to remember those that were killed in defense of our country. A war isn't required to be a patriot, nor is a gun, nor a rank in the military. There are many civilians who have lost their lives while defending American values, or unwittingly as victims of those assaulting our values.
I'm thinking about the activists that lost their lives defending the environment at Standing Rock, the students who were killed at Kent State, the victims of the airplane terrorism of 9/11, and the innocents who have lost their lives in Church bombings, school shootings, public place assaults (like the Boston Marathon bombing), the truck terrorism in Charlottesville last year.
, and anywhere else where American values are being assaulted and insulted by racism, terrorism, and corporate greed.
Nathan Hale, facing hanging for being a spy in 1776 said, "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country."
Let us hope that in the upcoming year it doesn't come to that, but let us remember those who have already given it up.
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