Memorial Day: Did They Die In Vain?

I am not in much of a patriotic spirit this Memorial Day.  Considering the recent damage done to our freedoms, I find myself wondering about all those men and women who died for our country.  Did they die in vain?

There is today a determined political force intent on "transforming America," changing it into something never intended by its founders.  The Second Amendment is under constant attack, and lately the First is also in danger.  Our economy is in shreds, our military greatly weakened.  No external enemy could destroy us, but we are being undermined from within.

If our great nation is dying, it is because of self-inflicted wounds.  It's hard to be optimistic.  Can we the people save the great inheritance of freedom once bequeathed to us, and paid for in so many lives of our military?  I have not given up hope, but the hour is late.

Debbie Schlussel Shakes Things Up: Single Moms in the Military

Debbie Schlussel is a conservative pundit, lawyer, film critic and a proud Jew.  She recently caused a stir by saying that single mothers shouldn't be allowed to serve in the military.  I agree.  According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

Conservative pundit Debbie Schlussel recently called for a ban on single mothers in the military because they are "useless soldierettes" and their absence is harmful to their children, she said. Schlussel said deploying single moms "exacts more costs and bureaucratic BS than it's worth."

She points to the case of Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, the Oakland, Calif., Army cook who was arrested because she refused to deploy with her unit once her child care arrangements fell through. Hutchinson's attorney said officers advised the single mom to place her 10-month-old son in foster care while she was deployed. The Army has not confirmed that statement.

Read it all here.

Debbie Schlussel's blog can be found at this link.

Video: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington

Memorial Day 2009

The American Cemetery, Normandy, France

They gave up all of their tomorrows for all of our todays.

Remembering Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941

USS Arizona aflame on December 7, 1941 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

It is curious that the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on Sunday, December 7, 1941. Today, sixty-seven years later, December 7 again falls on a Sunday.

The world will always contain tyrants, despots, dictators and madmen who would attack us and kill as many of us as possible, if they have the chance. With that knowledge, we would do well to always be prepared for war. Unfortunately, our new President has vowed to cut weapons research and development, make deep cuts in our nuclear stockpiles, and reduce the military budget by 25%. This is in keeping with the liberal notion that, if we are unprepared, unarmed and vulnerable, we will not be attacked. The efficacy of this approach can be seen in how well it works with the Somali pirates.

Those who learn nothing from history are doomed to repeat it, goes an old saying. Liberals learn absolutely nothing from history and seek the same failed policies over and over again. Socialism creates poverty and want, it does not alleviate them; pacifism does not bring peace, it encourages despotism and greases the skids to war. Using liberal logic, the best way to get rid of crime is to reduce the size of the police force. However, I digress.

Today we are remembering Pearl Harbor, a Navy site near Honolulu in the Hawaiian Islands where many of our Navy ships were berthed on that morning so long ago. Japanese aircraft carriers approached and launched three waves of air attacks on military targets in and around Pearl Harbor, sinking many ships and killing 2,403 Americans, most of them military personnel.

The USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Japan had just rendered a fatal blow...to itself. An outraged America prepared for war and, four bloody years later, dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, ending the war. The Japanese damn well deserved it.

May the sailors, marines and soldiers who died at Pearl Harbor rest in peace. May we never forget them, and more importantly, never forget the lessons of Pearl Harbor. In order to preserve the peace we must eternally prepare for war. Or, as Thomas Jefferson put it, "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

Photos: Black and white photo is of the USS Arizona battleship, burning and sinking. The colored photo is of the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor. You can see the outline of the ship's hull beneath the water. To this day, the Arizona still leaks oil that rises to the surface in a slow but steady stream of globules, dispersing on the surface in rainbow colors. Most of the Arizona sailors who died on that day are still entombed within the ship's hull.

Remembering D-Day

Today marks the 63rd anniversary of D-Day, the massive allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France. On June 6, 1944 American, British and Canadian troops landed on the Normandy coast amid stiff Nazi resistance. The Americans landed on the worst beach, "Bloody Omaha." More than 130,000 allied troops landed on Normandy that first day. Many were killed before firing a shot. Able Company, the first company ashore, suffered severe casualties. Some landing craft were sunk and never made it to shore; one that did land had its entire content of soldiers machine gunned seconds after the ramp dropped. Everyone of them was killed.

Only two riflemen from Company A fought effectively that day. They joined a Ranger battallion and fought with them. In one day, American fatalities were greater than those suffered in four years in Iraq.

To fully comprehend the horror that day, read "First Wave at Omaha Beach" by S.L.A. Marshall.

Our friends at the French blog "Support American Soldiers" also has an extensive article on D-Day, complete with pictures and maps.

Give a thought today to the thousands of soldiers who died and those who survived. They were heroes in ways we cannot begin to understand.

My uncle went ashore on Omaha Beach on D-Day+1. He was a medic. Before the invasion, he (and all other soldiers) received a printed message from General Eisenhower. I have that message, along with other artifacts from my uncle's participation. A scanned copy of it is below. Click on the image to see it full size.