A Veteran's Day Conflict

I am noticing on Facebook today all the genuine and supportive posts about this being Veteran's Day.  I have to say over the last several years every time this day rolls around I experience mixed emotions and I know why.

Along with every other American I have been conditioned from an early age to view the U.S. Military and military personnel with an almost sainthood status.  These are young men and women who were drafted into or now volunteer to "defend freedom," sometimes being maimed in the process physically and/or mentally and sometimes giving the "ultimate sacrifice."  There is something in me still that can admire the commitment and sacrifice these young people make.

On the other hand, their commitment includes rigorous physical training as well as mental conditioning and programing, all for the express purpose either directly or indirectly of killing our fellow human beings.  And this quite frankly bothers me.  I know they are suppose to kill only our nation's "enemies" when we are under threat but the truth is even with the most sophisticated weaponry and careful intelligence our military, supported by you and me, ends up with "collateral damage," a euphemism for killing innocent women, children and men, all too often.  Besides this, our nation has involved itself in conflicts over the years and around the world that have been highly suspect as warranted or necessary.  The real reason we fight too often I fear is to wield power and control over other nations so that we can continue our comfortable lifestyle.  It seems that Augustine's "Just War Theory" gets very little attention these days.

I just find it all to be at odds with especially the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels, along with the teaching and nonviolence of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Paul II (to name a few).

 I will say thank you Vets for committing a part of your lives to something I guess you believe in and something bigger than yourselves.  I can commend you for that.  But my heart's desire is we all pray to come to the full conscious understanding that we are to love our enemies; that those who live by the sword will die by the sword; that violence, war and killing our brothers and sisters around the world is a completely evil and illogical position which will never bring peace.

Peace for real,
Dennis