On Memorial Day 2009
Andy Rooney explains his views of the true meaning of Memorial Day in this short video. Plus, below the video, a repost about my visit to the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Washington, D.C.
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by Bruce Mulkey, May 13, 2000
I walked along that long black wall, crying in the rain.
For all those men who’ve touched our lives, we’ll never see again.
I was walking toward the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., a few years ago when I spotted it. I knew I would make my pilgrimage to the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial one day. I just didn’t know it would be today. But, to my surprise, there it was—The Wall, the black granite monument inscribed with the names of the 58,178 American men and women who died in the Vietnam War.
I am one of those who stood against this war, one of my generation who refused to serve, one who believed the war was wrong. In my youthful impertinence, I rebuked the politicians and generals who led us down this slippery slope. If LBJ or Tricky Dick wanted a war, I thought, let them go over there and mud wrestle with Uncle Ho one-on-one, winner take all. To paraphrase Muhammad Ali, ain’t no Viet Cong ever called me honkie. But the truth is, I also scorned the men and women who served in Vietnam. And while I make no apology for my stance for peace, on this spring day I knew it was time to atone for my lack of respect and unloving behavior toward our servicemen and servicewomen who had done the best they could do in a difficult situation.
The first name I searched for on The Wall was that of Kenneth Kirkes, my classmate and football teammate at Tullahoma (Tennessee) High School in the early ’60s. Kenneth Lee Kirkes, Marine Corps, Second Lieutenant, born on October 8, 1944. His tour of duty began on December 11, 1967. He was killed by hostile small arms fire on February 9, 1968.
Kenneth and I, along with a few of our friends, had been involved in the Ketchup Corpse Caper that folks still talk about in our little hometown of Tullahoma, Tennessee. As a teenage prank, one of our group got in the trunk of a ’53 Chevy and draped his arm over the rear bumper. The rest of us poured ketchup on the protruding arm, and we proceeded to local service stations where we asked to borrow a shovel. We got the reaction we expected from the service station attendants; what we didn’t anticipate was the long arm of the law. City, county, and state law enforcement officials responded in force, and though most everyone else thought the whole thing was hilarious, we were charged with impersonating a corpse. At our trial we received a severe tongue-lashing and a veiled threat of being shipped to the state reform school for boys.
When I found Kenneth’s name on The Wall, I traced it with my fingers. I remembered our times together, and the fact that he was his parents’ only son. In deep remorse, I kneeled, shut my eyes, and brought him into my consciousness. As tears of regret and sorrow streamed down my face, I admitted my transgressions and pleaded for his forgiveness.
Next I found the name of Dale Reich, my college classmate and football teammate at the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee. I still remember Dale’s rousing rendition of the Rolling Stones “Get Off of My Cloud” as we celebrated winning the last game of our final football season at Sewanee, a season in which we suffered only one loss. Dale was not large physically, but pound-for-pound he was arguably the toughest guy on the team.
I found Dale’s name on panel 65W: Merrill Dale Reich Jr., Army, First Lieutenant, born on July 8, 1944. His Vietnam tour began on May 15, 1968, and ended when he was killed by hostile small arms fire on May 27, 1968. Twelve days after his arrival in Vietnam, Dale was dead.
I brought Dale into my mind’s eye and asked him too to forgive me. And then I expanded my prayer for forgiveness to all of the men and women whose names were on that wall and to all of those who had served in the Vietnam War. My load had lightened, but the most challenging step was still to come. Now it was time to forgive myself.
Let’s support our troops while we work to bring them home now.
I wrote most of this post on Memorial Day but didn’t have a chance to complete and post it until today.
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On Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday of May, our nation honors the men and women who died in military service to our nation.
There are a lot of them to honor. Below are our ten most lethal wars ranked by total deaths of American soldiers from Wikipedia:
1. American Civil War (1861–1865): 625,000 deaths
2. World War II (1941–1945): 405,399 deaths
3. World War I (1917–1918): 116,516 deaths
4. Vietnam War (1964–1973): 58,151 deaths
5. Korean War (1950–1953): 36,516 deaths
6. Revolutionary War (1775–1783): 25,000 deaths
7. War of 1812 (1812–1815): 20,000 deaths
8. Mexican-American War (1846–1848): 13,283 deaths
9. Philippine War (1899–1902): 4,196 deaths
10. Iraq War (2003–present) 4,079 deaths
These, of course, are the numbers of members of our armed forces who died. And while these are truly significant, we might want to consider the total number of deaths in the wars in which our nation has enaged. For example, the total estimated human loss of life for World War II was 72 million people. The estimated total number of deaths in the Vietnam War total is more than three million. And in Iraq some estimate that more than one million Iraqi civilians have died thus far.
On this day of remembrance songs are sung, speeches are made, graves are decorated, lost loved ones are honored, sacrifices during time of war recalled.
But as columnist Mark Shields points out in a March 21 appearance on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, our military personnel and their families have borne the entire brunt of the current war:
[W]e went to war against a country that had never attacked us, that never threatened us, on the bogus claim that that country had weapons of mass destruction which were a threat to us.
And it was not a moral war, and it was not a just war. It was a war in which the United States sullied, stained and repealed one of the great American values, that is that, in wartime, war demands equality of sacrifice.
All the sacrifice in this war has been borne by the one percent of Americans who are in uniform and their families. The rest of us have been quietly by, especially those of us who opposed the war, and been moral defectors.
We haven’t protested the fact that this is a war that our children and grandchildren will pay for. We haven’t even—we’ve blithely accepted tax cuts, and no draft, and no burden, paid no price, bore no burden, and accepted leadership that demanded nothing of us, and we’ve demanded nothing of them.
So how do we shoulder our share the sacrifice during war time, during this war? First and foremost, we immediately tell our elected officials to stop sending the men and women of our armed forces to fight in unnecessary and futile (not to mention illegal and immoral) conflicts and demand that they bring those who are in harm’s way home right now.
By no standard was the Iraq War necessary; the theoretical reasons to participate in this ill-advised and reckless military adventure were concocted in the dark, paranoid imaginations of deeply flawed men like George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, ballyhooed by print and television pundits and marketed to us like laundry detergent or the latest cure for a limp penis.
Regardless, however, we’re not off the hook. We, the people of this nation, have a responsibility for what has happened, for what is still happening. We have elected politicians who have voted to create the most massive war machine ever known on earth. We have elected and re-elected a president who thinks the best way to honor the troops is to give up golf. We have become consumers—of stuff, of TV, of antidepressants, of the mainstream media’s bullshit—rather than engaged citizens who will take action to stop the slaughter.
So what can we do around this Memorial Day to make a difference, to help bring our nation to its senses?
We can work to elect leaders who pledge to defend our country and who will engage the other nations of the world as partners, rather than endeavoring to bully other peoples into submission. We can let our elected representatives know that we will no longer tolerate the huge sums of money being spent on armaments while so little is spent on education, health care, healing the environment, rebuilding our infrastructure, etc. We can consider becoming a war tax resister.
One very important thing: Instead of spending your tax rebate on a vacation or wide-screen television set, how about using it to support those who have been making all the sacrifices in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and who have been getting short shrift on their return—the men and women of our armed forces and their families.
While our troops are overseas, their families need our support. When they return to the U.S., they may need it even more. Let’s stand together to show our gratitude, and let them know that we stand with them.
Click on the links below to find out more about worthy organizations that provide services for our troops and their families.
America Supports You — Lists numerous ways to offer support to troops (includes financial assistance, care packages, family member support, scholarships, support for wounded)
AnySoldier — Gives you contact info for deployed troops along with their specific requests for care packages
Forgotten Soldiers Outreach — Allows you to write to soldiers or send them care packages
National Veterans Foundation — Donate to help those who have served our country and their families.
SoldiersAngels — Offers a variety of ways to support soldiers during and after deployment
Swords to Plowshares — Donate to help heal the wounds and to restore dignity, hope and self-sufficiency to all veterans in need
Wounded Warrior Project — Donate to help meet the needs of wounded soldiers
Thursday, May 29th, 2008U.S. ranks 97th in peace index
Surprise, surprise! The 2008 Global Peace Index ranked the United States 97th out of 140 countries in terms of their level of peacefulness. The index ranks nations according to how peaceful they were domestically and how they interacted with the outside world. It looks at 24 indicators of external and internal measures of peace, including:
- Number of external and internal conflicts fought: 2001-06
- Estimated number of deaths from organized conflict
- Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP
- Number of jailed population per 100,000 people
- Level of violent crime
- Level of disrespect for human rights
The ten most peaceful nations are:
- Iceland
- Denmark
- Norway
- New Zealand
- Japan
- Ireland
- Portugal
- Finland
- Luxembourg
- Austria
By the way, Iran ranks 105th and dead last is Iraq–140th.
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008Michelle Obama touches a soldier’s heart
My son-in-law Brandon is now in Iraq serving what looks to be a 15-month tour, based on Bush’s remarks yesterday, so the war and those making the sacrifices (our military and their families) has been on my mind of late. On this note, below is an evocative message from a young soldier on the NC for Obama e-mail list at my.BarackObama.com.
My name’s Bryan, and i usually don’t post or send emails to the whole group, but i wanted to share something with you.
I am a active duty member of the US ARMY, i’m 18, and i will be leaving for my first deployment in iraq next tuesday. When i heard that Michelle Obama was coming to Raleigh, NC, i was exited, and i drove up from Fayetteville with a friend to go see her speak. As i sat there during her speech, it dawned on me that Barack and his wife are just like all of us … with the same struggles, hardships, and heartaches that we all “regular people” experience … and i will never ever stereotype him as “just another politician” again. I was stunned by the motivation, and the intensity of the crowd, not to mention hearing one of the best speeches i’ve heard in a while.
So after Mrs. Obama was done, she made her rounds shaking hands and signing autographs, and when she came to me? well i handed here a $20 dollar bill and asked her to autograph it for me (it was all i had in my pocket). i told her that i was deploying to iraq next week, and that i hope that her and her husband will do everything in there power to bring us home. she stared at me and for a second and i saw so much compassion in her, i think i turned red. she then asked me if she could get a hug, and told me to stay safe, and that they will work hard to bring us home. but the words was not what affected me, it was her emotion and compassion that was shared, it was amazing … i never have seen or felt a emotional connection with a “politician” before! that’s when i knew that this was the man and woman i wanted for the top job. they represent the things that so many of us represent, honesty, compassion, family, respect, and so many more … so she gave back my 20 dollar bill (it was not signed because she was not allowed to sign money), got a piece of paper and wrote me a note and signed it. she gave it to me, and with another hug she wished me luck and moved on to the next person.
I hope that every person will be able to share a connection with the Obamas … it’s truly amazing!!!
May peace be with you, Brandon, Bryan and all others in harm’s way. May you be back home soon.
Thursday, April 10th, 2008One day of the Iraq War costs $720 million
One day of the Iraq War costs $720 million. Watch this short video from the American Friends Service Committee to discover what else we could be doing with this money.
Note: Mozilla Firefox users, merely click on the play button on the video player below. Internet Explorer users, you likely will not see the video player, so click on the link to view the video at the YouTube website.
If you are encountering challenges trying to watch this video using Internet Explorer, I recommend switching to Mozilla Firefox as your default web browser. It’s free and easy to download.
“Christmas in the Trenches” by John McCutcheon
I still vividly remember the best Christmas present I ever got—a maroon Western Flyer bicycle. I was six, maybe seven, years old, and early on that chilly Christmas morning, my dad ran along side me holding me up as I frantically pedaled my one-speed bike. Unexpectedly he let go, and lo and behold, I was riding on my own! It was pure magic, a feeling of freedom deeply embedded in my consciousness even now.
That was almost 60 Christmases ago. And as I contemplate the gift I want for myself, for Shonnie, for my child (who’s nearing 40 now), my grandkids, for all my family and friends, for the people of the planet; it’s the thing we talk about around this time every year but that somehow continues to elude us: Peace on Earth.
Click on the play button below to watch a video production of John McCutcheon’s evocative song, “Christmas in the Trenches” based on a true story about how peace broke out one Christmas during World War I. The lyrics are below. And you can buy the book Christmas in the Trenches with a CD of John singing the song by clicking here.
Christmas in the Trenches
By John McCutcheon
My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool,
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders to Germany to here
I fought for King and country I love dear.
‘Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost so bitter hung,
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung,
Our families back in England were toasting us that day,
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.
I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound
Says I, “Now listen up, me boys!” each soldier strained to hear
As one young German voice sang out so clear.
“He’s singing bloody well, you know!” my partner says to me
Soon one by one each German voice joined in in harmony
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more
As Christmas brought us respite from the war.
As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” struck up some lads from Kent
The next they sang was “Stille Nacht,” “Tis ‘Silent Night’,” says I
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky.
“There’s someone coming towards us!” the front line sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one lone figure coming from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright
As he bravely strode unarmed into the night.
Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man’s land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave ‘em hell.
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeeze box and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men.
Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each began to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night
“Whose family have I fixed within my sights?”
‘Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung
For the walls they’d kept between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were gone for evermore.
My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I I’ve learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won’t be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we’re the same.
* * *
Happy Advent, Hanukkah, Solstice, Festivus, Christmas, Kwanza, Saturnalia, New Year, Epiphany, etc.
Christmas is the one time of year when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.
What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.
May the lights of Hanukkah usher in a better world for all humankind.
–Author Unknown
The tide has turned!
The light will come again!
In a new dawn, in a new day,
The sun is rising!
Io! Evohe! Blessed Be!
–Starhawk
Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
–Oprah Winfrey
A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.
Peace on earth will come to stay,
When we live Christmas every day.
Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way . . . out of that a new holiday was born . . . a Festivus for the rest of us!
And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
A new one just begun
And so happy Christmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now
“Two Parades” by David LaMotte: A story in rhyme about a KKK rally that was trumped by a troupe of clowns
You likely have heard of the VNN Vanguard Nazi/KKK rally in Knoxville on Saturday, May 26 that was neutralized by the comic antics and spirited merrymaking of the 100th ARA (Anti Racist Action) clown block. Check out the photo below and read more details at Asheville Indymedia.
My friend David LaMotte, WNC-based singer-songwriter, has put the incident to rhyme, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear it in song sometime soon. By the way, David was recently selected as a Rotary World Peace Fellow. In January 2009, he and his wife Deanna will head for Brisbane, Australia so he can begin classes at the University of Queensland. David is the real deal, a man of peace in his music, but more than that, a true man of peace in his life. David and his family are the folks who created the blue bumper sticker “God bless the people of every nation” in response to the bellicose jingoism that was prevalent in this country immediately after 9/11.
You may purchase a bumper sticker and some of David’s music by clicking here. And you can sample David’s music by clicking here. By the way, I highly recommend the CD This Is My Song, a ten-song retrospective CD sampler of David’s songs on the topic of peace, justice and hope. I can tell you that when I listen to these beautiful and compelling songs I feel more enlivened, inspired and impassioned about my role in creating the more compassionate, just and sustainable world I wish to see.
Two Parades
By David LaMotte
The day was bright and sunny as most May days tend to be
In the hills of Appalachia down in Knoxville, Tennessee
The men put on their uniforms and quickly took their places
In white robes and those tall and pointed hoods that hid their faces
Their feet all fell in rhythm as they started their parade
They raised their fists into the air, they bellowed and they brayed
They loved to stir the people up, they loved when they were taunted
They didn’t mind the anger, that’s precisely what they wanted
As they came around the corner, sure enough, the people roared
They couldn’t quite believe their ears, it seemed to be – support!
Had Knoxville finally seen the light, were people coming ‘round?
The men thought for a moment that they’d found their kind of town
But then they turned their eyes to where the cheering had its source
As one their faces soured as they saw the mighty force
The crowd had painted faces, and some had tacky clothes
Their hair and hats outrageous, each had a red foam nose
The clowns had come in numbers to enjoy the grand parade
They danced and laughed that other clowns had come to town that day
And then the marchers shouted, and the clowns all strained to hear
Each one tuned in intently with a gloved hand to an ear
“White power!” screamed the marchers, and they raised their fisted hands
The clowns leaned in and listened like they couldn’t understand
Then one held up his finger and helped all the others see
The point of all this yelling, and they joined right in with glee
“White flour!” they all shouted and they felt inside their clothes
They pulled out bags and tore them and huge clouds of powder rose
They poured it on each other and they threw it in the air
It got all over baggy clothes and multi-colored hair
All but just a few of them were joining in the jokes
You could almost see the marchers turning red beneath white cloaks
They wanted to look scary, they wanted to look tough
One rushed right at the clowns in rage, and was hauled away in cuffs
But the others chanted louder marching on around the bend
The clowns all marched along with them supporting their new friends
“White power!” came the marchers’ cry — they were not amused
The clowns grew still and thoughtful; perhaps they’d been confused?
They huddled and consulted, this bright and silly crowd
They listened quite intently, then one said “I’ve got it now!”
“White flowers!” screamed the happy clown and all the rest joined in
The air was filled with flowers, and they laughed and danced again
“Everyone loves flowers! And white’s a pretty sort!
I can’t think of a better cause for marchers to support!”
Green flower stems went flying like small arrows from bad archers
White petals covered everything, including the mad marchers
And then a very tall clown called the others to attention
He choked down all his chuckles, and said “Friends I have to mention
That what with all the mirth and fun it’s sort of hard to hear
But now I know the cause that these strange marchers hold so dear
“Tight showers!” the clown blurted out, and hit his head in wonder
He held up a camp shower and the others all got under
Or at least they tried to get beneath, they strained but couldn’t quite
There wasn’t room for all of them, they pushed, but it was tight
“White Power!” came their marchers’ cry, quite carefully pronounced
The clowns consulted once again, then a woman clown announced
“I’ve got it! I’m embarrassed that it took so long to see
But what these marchers march for is a cause quite dear to me!”
“Wife power!” she exclaimed and all the other clowns joined in
They shook their heads and laughed at how mistaken they had been
The women clowns were hoisted up on shoulders of the others
Some pulled on wedding dresses, “Here’s to wives and mothers!”
The men in robes were angry and they knew they’d been defeated
They yelled a few more times and then they finally retreated
And when they’d gone a black policeman turned to all the clowns
And offered them an escort to the center of the town
The day was bright and sunny as most May days tend to be
In the hills of Appalachia down in Knoxville, Tennessee
People joined the new parade, the crowd stretched out for miles
The clowns passed out more flowers and made everybody smile
And what would be the lesson of that shiny southern day?
Can we understand the message that the clowns sought to convey?
Seems that when you’re fighting hatred, hatred’s not the thing to use
So here’s to those who march on in their massive silly shoes
(Based on true events of May 26, 2007 - ©2007 David LaMotte)
Monday, November 26th, 2007
