"Lest we forget"

Stardate 4844.5

"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That marks our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amidst the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields."

-Lt. Col. John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army

War. Through history, mankind has seen countless conflicts. Some for good reason, some not. Whether it was ancient tribes quarrelling over hunting grounds and gold deposits, fighting to stop madmen bent on global domination or today's man, deciding who's God is right, thousands and millions of lives have been extinguished forever. We grieve their losses, and move on, to the next great, bloody conflict. At times, it seems there shall be no reprieve from the almost child-like reasons for most conflict... greed, race, religion. And meanwhile, another mother, another father, another wife, another husband, another child, loses a parent, a son, a daughter, a friend.

"Floating down through the clouds
Memories come rushing up to meet me now
In the space between the heavens
And in the corner of some foreign field
I had a dream
I had a dream
Goodbye max
Goodbye ma
After the service when you're walking slowly to the car
And the silver in her hair shines in the cold november air
You hear the tolling bell and touch the silk in your lapel
And as the tear drops rise to meet the comfort of the band
You take her frail hand and hold on to the dream
A place to stay enough to eat
Somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street
Where you can speak out loud
About your doubts and fears
And what's more no-one ever disappears
You never hear their standard issue kicking in your door
You can relax on both sides of the tracks
And maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
And everyone has recourse to the law
And no-one kills the children anymore
And no-one kills the children anymore
Night after night going round and round my brain
His dream is driving me insane
In the corner of some foreign field the gunner sleeps tonight
What's done is done
We cannot just write off his final scene
Take heed of the dream
Take heed"

- Pink Floyd - "Gunner's Dream" from "The Final Cut"

The World Wars saw a loss of life like no other. Brave men and women throughout the world fought for their countries on all sides of the war. Either on the lines in a foreign land, in the factories at home, or the hospitals housing the wounded. These people need to be remembered. Their sacrifices were made in order to keep our way of life safe and free. The soldiers on all sides died for causes they believed were true. Remember them.

Even today, in the current hell that is our modern world, men, women and children die on a daily basis... fighting to preserve their way of life. The US soldier, the Iraqi child. The Israeli gunner. The Palestinian mother. And for what? Oil? Security? Religion? No sides are right anymore. We spiral towards oblivion faster every day, with each car bomb, air strike, threat and death. The face of war has changed today. The noble cause that was is all but gone. I often wonder what the souls watching from above would think, peering in on our crystal ball planet and it's conflicts of greed and racism.

Someday, the rest of the world will grow as weary as myself at the thought of more bags full of wasted flesh coming home. We do not need any more new reasons to remember.

As Ken over at Common Sense says, we must remember that in all wars, the soldiers are doing the bidding of the government. As much as we oppose a specific conflict, or the leaders responsible, we must always remember that the men and women serving are doing their job for their country. We must support them fully, even as we oppose their leaders.