"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Thursday 11 November 2010

At This Time Of The Year

We hear and read much about past and present wars. History unwinds itself slowly. Something  is always being revealed  that we never knew before.

For many years, much of my reading was about history, politics and wars. I was young during the second war. My impression was  that politics were suspended for the duration. I was amazed to discover, twenty years later,how wrong I was..

Now it's sixty-three years  since the end of the war and  I'm still discovering how terribly wrong I was.
 
Last night on television, it was a story about the chief yobo in the American navy. I only watched snippets. I can never  bear to watch it all.

He hated the British. He  was determined  he would  take no advice from them when the Americans joined the conflict.

Five thousand lives were lost to German U-boats ,thousands of tons of shipping  and supplies. Britain was on her knees before he could be persuaded that  convoys across the Atlantic Ocean were the only way to go.

Probably fifty years ago,  I read how the Italian campaign was within a week of ending.  Italians do not like to fight.  Eisenhower withdrew  allied forces from the Italian front  to send them to France to  make sure General De Gaulle, who spent the war in the U.K., reached Paris before the French Underground,  They were communists.

The Italian campaign continued for  years  after that with  thousands of lives lost.

Last night  I went to bed  and  remembered  why we  committed to remembering those who died.

We promised to remember them, how they died and why. So that their deaths would not be in vain. we promised we would never let it happen again.

That was before we  discovered some of  the vainglorious jackasses who were  in charge  and responsible for their  deaths were not always the enemy.

Wars are not won. They are lost by the side that makes the most mistakes.

We haven't  kept  our promise.

We are still spending billions of dollars on weapons of destruction , sending  young people  into harm's way to die horrible deaths ,in God forsaken places, thousands of miles from home.

Does anyone really believe wars  and weapons of war are the right way  to  change a barbaric culture?

7 comments:

Robert the Bruce said...

Evelyn wrote:
"Wars are not won. They are lost by the side that makes the most mistakes."

I am reminded of General Patton's line. "No bastard ever won a war by dieing for his country. He won the war by making some other poor bastard die for his country".

Politics is a huge factor in a war when you have multiple countries allied together against the other side. You saw in in the Great War when the British treated Canadian battalions as second class. It was only after General Currie et al worked to get the Canadians together in one Corps.

Of course the US-led Allied effort in WWII was constantly having to deal with the politics of the allies. Giving the British the lead in one campaign and then the US in another. They also had to include other countries in plans - the Polish, the Free French, etc.

Things were a lot easier when it was 1 country against another. of course our current conflict is also full of political issues.

Fuimus

Anonymous said...

"sending young people into harms way to die horrible deaths"

As a young person, I struggle with Remembrance Day. It's one thing to remember a lost relative who died "serving our country" - but the men my age who are being blown to smithereens in a war that isn't Canada's - it's frighteningly ridiculous, frankly.

Anonymous said...

Report from the Remembrance Day Ceremony–Wendy G finally found out what time the ceremony was and was there on time–big hugs for the Walmer woman, the St. Kitts woman and for the ex mayor–but what was most telling was her digusting disrespectful behaviour–the park was packed with people paying thier respects, but she found it necessary during the wreath laying ceremony to talk to all kinds of people around her–a religious quiet ceremony, even little children were silent but the silence was broken by our illustrious Wendy talking to her neighbours throughout these solem moments–this woman really has zero class

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
LivingInAurora.ca said...

We also must remember those innocent people and children that died during the war. I was about 7 or 8 years old when a mass grave was uncovered in my town (in Europe). Until today I am sadden by the lost souls during the war, yet like you said we continue to build weapons. You can not force peace with weapons, the result is inhumanly.

Anna

Anonymous said...

To the Young Poster:
As a young person I also struggled with Remembrance Day. With age I have developed a deep appreciation for those who fought for what I have enjoyed through my life and a profound understanding of why it is so important.
I wish the same for you as you live your life in freedom (I hope).

Robert the Bruce said...

To: Anonymous 11 November, 2010 12:26 PM.

Heather posted this same thing on the AC blog. Just like I said in the previous blog entry about Remembrance Day being different for everyone, I also have a hard time getting upset with people that do not embrace it the same as I. I hear all sorts of calls on the radio for people to get behind it. It is a very personal thing and there are some people that do not have the linkage to the history.

For those that do not have a sincere interest in the ceremony, they are better off to stay away instead. Wendy G does not strike me as the brighest bulb in the string. I am sure she was there out of a sense of duty to those that elected her. She should have the smarts to be quiet but I guess that common sense eludes her.

Having said that, as a "report" I am somewhat relunctnat to take it all as fact.

Fuimus