Memorial Day originated to honor those who lost their lives in the Civil War. But many of today’s Americans view it as simply an opportunity to kick off the slower months of summer with backyard barbecue or three days in the mountains. Such casual celebrants are as unlikely to dwell on the agonies of Antietam as they are to remember the epic struggle waged by trade unions to win the 40-hour work week over Labor Day.
Such historical amnesia is unfortunate. The lifestyle of today’s Americans would not even have been possible without the courage and sacrifice of those veterans who, from Concord Bridge to Herat and Baghdad, have given “the last full measure of devotion” to win and protect U.S. independence. Their valor and skill have preserved the “government of the people, by the people, for the people” that, however imperfectly, today melds the dreams of 300 million Americans into a society of ordered liberty in which those dreams, alloyed by hard work, can grow to fruition.
Honoring our veterans, living and dead, should not be confused with simple jingoism. Dissent is not only an honorable American tradition, it is protected by the very Constitution our fighting men and women fought to preserve. Few historians today consider the War of 1812 either necessary or wise, and no less a patriot than Abraham Lincoln sharply opposed the Mexican War as unjust. The bitter dissent during the Vietnam War and the growing disquiet over the U.S. role in Iraq thus have long and honorable antecedents.
Yet, there is a kind of social contract honored by both American veterans and critics of U.S. policies. Soldiers seldom get to pick their wars, responding loyally when called to the colors by the elected civilian leadership and never once in this nation’s long history misusing the power they command to impose military rule. The loyal opposition, in turn, honors the sacrifices of our fighting forces while reserving its criticism for elected leaders who craft the policies that place our military in harm’s way.
That’s why every American should pause today to honor America’s veterans living and dead. And to remember that we honor our veterans best by honoring and defending the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution they fought so nobly to protect.
