My dad survived 35 missions over Germany as a copilot of a B-17 bomber, from August '44 to February '45.
My Uncle Carl wasn't so fortunate. He died in the crash of his B-17 on a training mission in Louisiana. It was permanent loss to my family.
I always felt cheated because I never got to know my Uncle Carl. He was a bright, thoughtful, beloved young man, who was intending on going to college and seminary after the war, but never got the chance to do so. He loved to read and was musical, playing the trumpet. In other words, I'm as close to a clone of him as you can imagine.
War is an awful thing. It takes people away from us, whose absence will be a source of heartache for as long as this life lasts. That is why war needs to be a last resort, and nothing more.
I honor our veterans and those who serve in the military. In fact, there is a part of me that thinks that we should have universal military service, like they have in Switzerland and other nations. That way, when we go to war, a lot more families have children and grandchildren at risk. The political rush to war would therefore be a bit diminished.
But I will never honor nor glorify war. It is an evil, brutal reality that we must avoid if at all possible.
Let's not confuse the two things.
My Uncle Carl wasn't so fortunate. He died in the crash of his B-17 on a training mission in Louisiana. It was permanent loss to my family.
I always felt cheated because I never got to know my Uncle Carl. He was a bright, thoughtful, beloved young man, who was intending on going to college and seminary after the war, but never got the chance to do so. He loved to read and was musical, playing the trumpet. In other words, I'm as close to a clone of him as you can imagine.
War is an awful thing. It takes people away from us, whose absence will be a source of heartache for as long as this life lasts. That is why war needs to be a last resort, and nothing more.
I honor our veterans and those who serve in the military. In fact, there is a part of me that thinks that we should have universal military service, like they have in Switzerland and other nations. That way, when we go to war, a lot more families have children and grandchildren at risk. The political rush to war would therefore be a bit diminished.
But I will never honor nor glorify war. It is an evil, brutal reality that we must avoid if at all possible.
Let's not confuse the two things.
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