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| Silverfiddle Rant! |
I wrote this years ago to commemorate Pearl Harbor day. The chances of our nation being attacked militarily now is almost nil. An ignorant and debased nation of people easily propagandized is vulnerable to a variety of more subtle, non-violent attacks. Nonetheless, the lesson still applies.
My wife and I took our kids to a museum here in town on December 7th a few years ago. While there, we had the good fortune to meet a WW II Navy veteran who had survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. We also encountered the famous WW II picture of the Frenchman crying. These two contrasting encounters taught my family a lesson that I want to share with you.At the beginning of our tour I spied the aging sailor wearing a veteran’s garrison cap emblazoned with the words “Pearl Harbor Survivor.” I crouched down and quickly tutored my children on the man’s significance upon that historical landscape. Fortunately, the kids grasped the meaning of the moment and we approached the gentleman. A mellow, unassuming man, he treated our questions with kindness and received our thanks with humility.
At the end of our museum tour we came face to face with the elderly veteran’s polar opposite: the picture of the Frenchman crying. Many of my fellow Americans would probably enjoy hearty anti-French belly laughs at this picture, but I feel only sadness. This is the face of people everywhere who lack the means or the will to defend their freedoms. This is the face that trades death and destruction for subjugation and humiliation.
I felt just as compelled to introduce my children to the Frenchman crying as I did to the aging hero. I directed my kids’ attention to the picture and asked them to describe it. “He’s crying,” and “That man is sad,” were the answers I got. They could see his distress and wanted to know what had caused it.
I told them this is how you end up when you're unable or unwilling to fight for your freedom. I told them that if they were not prepared to risk their lives for their country, they had better be prepared to stand on the street crying as the conquerors march by. I insisted they study the picture some more, observe the pain on the man’s face, notice the tears running down his cheeks. “Remember that face,” I told them, “and may that never be you.”
Reliance on Maginot Lines and international organizations provides a sense of security--up until the inevitable failure of such contrivances. Then, alas, it is back to blood and steel. Sadly, we are all too human after all.
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As of September 2020, "according to US Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, 325,574 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II are alive in 2020." (National WW II Museum)
Very well said, SF. Few enough Americans have a basic understanding of war, and of learning from living history while we still can. Fewer still....as in almost none [save immigrants] have first hand knowledge of what war does to one's home and community.
ReplyDeleteAs you indicate, both should be taken and respected in equal measure.
We live in a military town, so we've had the privilege of meeting and hearing speak some real heroes who live right here. The middle school all our kids went to puts on an awesome Veterans Day tribute.
DeleteUnfortunately, we lost our last local Tuskegee Airman this year. My family and I were all privileged to have met him at one of the Veterans Day ceremonies.
I've been lucky enough to have met and talked with several "legends"....but honestly, often it's the Vets of "no great acclaim" whose experiences will send shivers up one's spine.
DeleteWell said, sir. Lest we forget.
ReplyDeleteSince I served in diesel submarines in the very early 1960s, about 30% or so of my shipmates were men who made war patrols in those submarines in the Pacific during WW2. It was a great priveledge to serve with such men. They went about the business of manning that boat with deadly intensity.
ReplyDeleteI was at my sister-in-laws in Florida helping her with some remodeling and I needed another saw.
DeleteShe sent me next door to her neighbor Carl.
I struck up a conversation with him.
Carl had been in subs prior to Dec 7th.
After 3 yrs of patrols, they pulled him to the surface to teach at Groton, where my son has served for 26 yrs.
My son has served at Groton for 25 years now and is qualified COB on a Virginia Class after years of 688s.
Needless to say, Ed, I went to Submarine School at Groton, and my first ship was home ported at Submarine Base New London.
DeleteNot much more I can add to that.
ReplyDeleteJust did a quick scan of the new services, (Google, MSN, etc) before commenting here (and on a few other sites).
Barely anything mentioned on Google headlines and absolutely nothing on MSN.
Worse, here in Vegas, far to many people don't even seem top give a damn if you mention it, much less the fact that some don't even know about it.
One almost thinks the re-education of the masses is taking effect in a far worse fashion then anyone thought. But we were warned!
Extremely sad but I am proud to have known so many of those who defended this country through thick and thin.
Joe,
DeleteI noticed that there is barely anything mentioned today about December 7, 1941. In fact, I've never seen fewer stories about that infamous day than I've seen this year.
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ReplyDelete