Today is Veterans Day. Students are out of school, and, hopefully, they thought, at least briefly, of the reason why.
In Washington, several events took place to honor veterans, more so than in the past, and this is encouraging. One of these events aimed also to educate youth about the military and the great sacrifices veterans have made for our country.
Eighth graders attended the community veterans’ event at Five Points Washington and listened to Korean War veteran Dr. Norman Standish.
All of these event organizers should be commended and thanked for helping to highlight the reason for the holiday.
And, likewise, a simple “thank you” or applause for veterans obviously makes the veterans feel good.
All of this is good; however, it is important to make sure our youth hear an objective portrayal of war.
While it is important to honor our veterans for their sacrifices, those who tell these stories, need to highlight the good and the bad.
It seems our youth may be a bit mislead by Hollywood’s version of war movies. Or, maybe society as a whole is too focused on violence instead of peace, destruction instead of construction, the preservation of life instead of killing.
Some veterans may not want to talk about what happened in the war because it may be too painful for them. But, keeping the horrors of war a secret while only sharing the glory, does not paint an accurate picture.
This accurate picture would also remind people of another important focus of Veterans Day: to be a reminder to learn from the past.
Although, sadly, it is highly unlikely the world will see a day when war no longer exists, it is still a noble goal to strive for that ideal.
Veterans Day, then, should be about remembering past sacrifices and reflecting on how to spare future generations those same sacrifices.
It should be a celebration of the ideals for which soldiers have fought: freedom, human rights, democracy.
It should be about celebrating human life and improving the quality of life not only for Americans, but also for those for whom we fight in the name of “democracy.”
It should not be a day to glorify war or express eagerness to “put a dent in some folks in Afghanistan,” as one Marine captain put it in his speech.
Patriotism, freedom and human rights are important themes of Veterans Day students, and even adults, need to hear. But just as important are the lessons we can learn from the past, so we are not forever stuck in the seemingly endless violence of war.
William T. Sherman, a Union general in the American Civil War, said, “War is hell,” and youth need to know this side of it as well.
