DangerousTalk

Memorial Day is here and that means only one thing, the official start of Hollywood’s movie season! Oh wait, that has already started a few weeks ago. Never mind, I guess it means something else.

Over America’s 200 plus years, we as a nation have been called to service to defend our home and our freedoms. Many Americans have answered that call in various different ways. While more often than not, people think of our soldiers who have put themselves in harms way. Even soldiers who have fought in unjust wars deserve to be respected. But we should also realize that sometimes Americans don’t join up out of bravery, but instead out of am immoral desire to legally kill others. These are hopefully a minority of people and for those individuals; I have little to no respect. I am sure that most of our soldiers have joined the Armed Forces out of a sense of honor and a duty to protect freedom. Those are the soldiers who I choose to pay tribute to on this Memorial Day.

We should also remember on this Memorial Day that soldiers must continually question questionable orders. Those who have tortured or who have committed immoral acts should be held accountable as well as those who gave those orders. Soldiers are not and should not be unthinking killing machines. Those soldiers who stand up and fight against the injustices that they see on the battlefield should be honored even more because it takes more courage to fight the injustice of ones peers than the injustices of the enemy.

Americans today should also honor those who fight off the battlefield for the freedom and security of our way of life. There are many military analyses, translators, office personnel, Red Cross workers, doctors, etc. that are also fighting for freedom in less visible ways. These support personnel often get forgotten on Memorial Day and this year I think we should all remember them and honor them.

There are also those social activists who fight to keep our policymakers honest and who continually push for freedom and transparency in our government and military. While they are not dodging bullets, they do take a lot of heat for their efforts to protect the integrity of our nation and the rights of all Americans. But keeping America honest, they are also keeping America safe. This nations greatest weapon is not our large nuclear arsenal, nor is it our brave and well-trained soldiers. Our greatest weapon is our moral high-ground and the respect we hold within the community of nations. Our citizen soldiers are there for us fighting to maintain that weapon.

From soldier, to support personnel, to activist, all of these Americans fight in their own ways to keep America safe, free, and true to our values. In my view, we should honor our citizen soldiers as well as our brave military soldiers on this Memorial Day. Eternal vigilance is the price we must continually pay to remain free.

Filed under: Politics