One of the most stirring things I enjoy in quiet admiration is my yearly trek to place a Veterans of Foreign Wars flag holder upon the grave of my beloved Uncle. Nothing stirs the heart more than to see that bronze star with a beautiful American Flag waving in the breeze upon it surrounded by a sea of flowers.
While I will pick at the oft times low grade nature of the flap to the weekend warrior who dare wear the uniform of the United States military, I love the Americans and have great admiration for our brother nations from Canada to the Angels to the French.
I look fondly at the plaques upon the graves of my family. From Uncle Happy who was a cavalry officer in the Great European War to the lone little name plate of a cousin shot down over the skies of Vietnam in a Church not far from here. So very much has been given by even the potato peelers that none of us can ever repay.
I celebrate warriors and would that all of our Soldiers were George Patton and loved the scent of battle. Regrettably only the Marine Corp now speaks openly about killing people as a mission. There is nothing incorrect about killing people according to Biblical moral codes in defense of yourself and others, in state executions of criminals and in the warrior killing the enemy.
I'm very proud the United States Marines have adopted many of the things covered in this blog in examining aggression and the art of hand to hand combat. America has a professional corp of Soldiers who are not soldiers of a profession as Nazi German standing armies, but Soldiers of a free people representing all that is the best of that American body.
The Marines though do tend to even now harp on the talking points too much of urban warfare is a dirty business, when instead it is glorious combat in it's purest form. To posture that war is a bad thing is to posture that marriage is a bad thing. There are good and bad things in all situations in life. Certainly picking up pieces of your dead comrade is not something good, but as Patton would note there are glorious things about battle and combat that stirs the soul.
I remember sitting with my Uncle one day fishing on a lake and he had an amused grin on his face looking at the hills surrounding us and started speaking about Korea in fighter jets coming in and dropping napalm on the enemy.
His memories were not about the enemy dying who were trying to murder him and all Americans, but in the thrill of seeing planes making runs and seeing those grande explosions.
I recall listening to a World War II Soldier in France telling of holding a position for which I believe he was awarded the Medal of Honor. He thoroughly enjoyed warfare and combat in remembering his M 1 30.06 front sight settling on German enemies and his pulling the trigger and down they went.
He was pleased with his accomplishment and he rightly deserved that as all Soldiers should. For Soldiers are killing people who are enemies who are attempting to murder them. A God given victory in this is to be celebrated and memorialized for this is the ultimate stance in life. The mortal making certain that the enemy is mortalized and does no harm for any regime any more.
American Soldiers need to be thrilled in what they do. It is a wonderful anthem heavy tanks, mechanized or hummers rumbling on patrol or advancing. Nothing shivers me more than having a combat fighter performing a run over my position and I can feel those massive engines rippling my skin. Who can not be stirred in seeing the USS Ronald Reagan with all the Sailors lined on deck in their whites knowing they are the American representatives the world sees, and last, but never least, those Marines in their dress blues, nail clippers having sheared loose threads, hours spent polishing their shoes and rifles sitting on the edge of their shoe so as not to touch the ground and have dirt on the butt plate.
These people and their weaponry are magnificent and thank God in His Grace it is our people and our engines of warfare which is a blessing to our land as Christ is the Lord of our battles.
Of course their is bitter mourning for the losses of our loved ones and our national standards from Davey Crockett, Stonewall Jackson, George Armstrong Custer and Theodore Roosevelt II as they died for America, but even in our losses we can not but celebrate them and their accomplishment in dying in the fight and not running away from it.
All warfare is wonderful in it's shocking efficiency when it was Roman Centurions in square attack formation to the spear of a US armoured column. It is amazing in how single shot rifles and muzzle loaded cannons in concentrated fire could wreck such havoc in efficiency and how that efficiency will one day be employed in atomic warfare in grande battle where Americans will learn the weapon of that trade to use it with incredible slaughtering power.
Liberals like hiding behind the fallacy that all of this America just appeared and this killing is someone beneath them. That is why liberals belong no where near power as they do not appreciate life, because their death is all infanticide, euthanasia and some Mexican beheading their spinach plants. Unless one suffers with their food in plants and animals, unless one invests years in caring for a loved one who is mentally retarded or handicapped in body, there is no voice inside of them which understands the United States military in the awe of their awarded medals, their uniforms, their service and even in that gently folded flag which covers their casket.
Yesterday a girl I went to school with who died far too young in life had me straightening up her grave in some lawnmower had bent her American Legion Auxiliary flag stand. I wonder if she knew her bus riding partner as she termed me as she was ornery to core at me, smiled at me taking the time yet to care about her in a lonely place she has left.
I'm not anything at all for DC mall concerts nor for parades nor am I for kinder and gentler warfare. I do love though Soldiers in uniforms, their weaponry, flags over their graves and combat, Combat which is hearing the sound of battle, closing on the enemy speedily and killing them.
May God bless the families and Soldiers. May God bless the Good in America in Jesus Name, on this coming May 30th, Memorial Day.
Let us never forget even the Soldiers who scrub the latrines so that the rest of the military can flush the enemy.
my compliments to Libby.
agtG
