Well, my Grandpa fought in World War II, my uncle fought in Nam
My father was too young; he went to school and met my mom
And her dad always told us stories around dinner time
And there's one he told when I was young that sticks out in my mind
He said, "Ten years after Daddy taught me about the birds and bees
I was stranded in Pearl Harbor fighting off the Japanese
When the kamikaze pilots came and dove in without warning
I was on the Arizona on a warm December morning
I remember when I was a younger man
We were soldiers fighting in a foreign land
Now I'm older, and it's happening again
It was hard to have forgiveness for the things they did that day
And our President decided we should make their people pay
So we dropped one on Nagasaki and we cut them down to size
And the one we dropped on Hiroshima left them vaporized
And I heard some Christians say, 'What would Jesus do?
What if you were on the wrong side, would he point the gun at you?'
And they read through every word of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and John
So they could see if killing was the side that Christ was on
I remember when I was a younger man
We were soldiers fighting in a foreign land
Now I'm older, and it's happening again
And they separate the church and state and keep God out of schools
So our governments can educate based upon their rules
But people start to wonder if our politics make sense
When religion is our best excuse for national defense
And when our citizens start saying that our wars are not okay
And Washington keeps telling them God loves the USA
And they teach us history so we can learn from our mistakes
And this generation wants to know how many years it takes
To change the way we treat our neighbors all across the land
'Cause if we don't change our hearts, we repeat the past again"
When my Grandpa finished talking, we went walking, he and I
I was thinking of the future and how scared I was to die
Now my best friend's overseas in the desert where it's dry
Fighting for our country and I need a reason why
I remember when he was a younger man
Now he's a soldier fighting in a foreign land
Now he's older. God, bring him home again
~ Griffin House
A few years ago, a close family member accused me of being "anti-military." Nothing could be further from the truth. My father served in the Philippines during WWII, and my maternal grandfather fought in France in WWI. I have friends who served in Vietnam. I have uncles, cousins, and nephews who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. My next-door neighbors both served in Afghanistan. I have always been most proud of my mother's WWII service as a SPAR in the U.S. Coast Guard. I was shocked to have been labeled "anti-military" and questioned my accuser. She assumed that because I am anti-WAR, I must be anti-military. This makes no sense to me. Because I don't want our service people to die in wars, I am against their service? Seriously?
Today is Veterans Day, the one where we honor those who served our country (as opposed to Memorial Day, when we honor those who perished in their service). Searching for a song for today's post was difficult . . . until I came upon this one by Griffin House, a thirtysomething singer/songwriter from Ohio. It tells a story and makes a political statement that relies more on that personal account than on ideology. It appears on Flying Upside Down, released in 2007, right smack in the middle of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The video, too, is compelling. Please watch it.
Once again, we are living with the possibility that we may enter into yet another conflict with a foreign country, this time with nuclear weapons. I still remember reading John Hersey's Hiroshima when I was a teenager and being unable to wrap my head around that dark moment in our history. I still can't. Did we learn from our mistakes? Or will we repeat the past again?
There is no need for me to proselytize here. I think the song says it better than I can. And closing with "Thank you for your service" sounds so hollow to me. To those of you who have served, I will say that I am in awe of your courage and commitment, that I am grateful that you are home safe, that I wish you peace in your heart.
And to the Masters of War, I will resurrect an old hippie standard and offer this:
No comments:
Post a Comment