On Veterans Day, I always think of my father, a military man whose remains lie at Arlington National Cemetery, surrounded by the pristine white markers of America’s war dead. I always come away from my parents’ burial place freshly attuned to the special gravity we sense in all war veterans. They are initiates into the deep mystery of mortality. On Veterans Day, the nation acknowledges their service. But discharging the nation’s debt to them requires more than than a simple salute. Americans must try to understand what our brave and selfless military men and women have actually been asked to do.
Today’s observance has its origins in the World War I armistice, and takes its resonance from traditions set by the World War II generation, of which my dad was part. But by now there are more than 2 million veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, most of them still young. For all of the tribulations of the legions of warriors who went before them, veterans of these contemporary wars have been plunged into complexities of risk and moral anarchy of which my father’s generation knew little.
Comments
James Carroll is quite correct in asserting that we should distinguish the appreciation of our soldiers, from our judgment of the war itself. It is essential to a democratic form of government, that the scope and goals of any war should be determined by the elected civilian government, not by the military commanders.
However, his statement that "In a military ethic going back at least 2,000 years, the boundary separating noncombatant civilian from enemy fighter is essential to a just war", Seems to me to be more of a wish than a statement of fact. The concept of a "just war", and its corollary of the "war crime", appears to be quite modern. The concept of distinguishing a "just war" from an "unjustified war" is still struggling to assert itself, in its competition with the patriotic idea of, "my country right or wrong". If one crosses so the border into New Brunswick, one meets a view of what we call "the war of independence" that is very different from ours.
The tradition of glorifying war dies hard.
Well said sir, but Carroll acurately characterizes the long tradition of 'jus in bello,' the component of Just War theory addressing military conduct in combat. Augustine wrote about the military's responsiblity for actions about combatants/noncombatants in the early 5th century.
I agree with your criticism that the application of Just War theory is lacking, and I would add the 'jus ad bellum,' the criteria and justification for entering into war, is of greatest concern.
More on just war theory here: http://www.iep.utm.edu/justwar/#H3
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The enemy blew up the twin towers and hit the pentagon killing thousands of innocent people. We took over two countries Iraq and Afghanistan and killed hundreds of thousands of people in those countries. New regimes will be in place when we leave. If you call that a draw I'll take it. We have to fight the enemy over there, to take away their bases and support systems. Our volunteer service people are all heroes for serving to protect this country. Iraq and Afghanistan could have been subjected to a scorched earth policy, but we didn't choose that strategy because most of the people there are innocent and we have a conscience unlike our enemy who kill innocents at funerals and weddings all the time. War is terrible and should be the last course taken but we must be ready to protect ourselves here and abroad. This enemy has no future because they are evil. Thank You to all the service men and women. I Love America!
I admit up front that I am opposed to war for the sake of war. I admit to an old bitterness and distrust when it comes to those who so readily send American's to war. I have in my lifetime known nothing but war. From Vietnam to the Afghan the US has invaded or attacked or defended itself against someone. The question Carroll asks is has each of these been necessary. Have each of these occured because the US was threatened. I think the only logical answer to that is no. Grenada, Panama, the second Iraq war. There are indeed just wars, necessary wars and then there are wars that are carried out simply because one can or one takes the easy road against a weaker foe.
My friend "kitch" justifies the Iraq war and the deaths there because of the twin towers. There was no connection between Al-Qaeda and Iraq. The attack upon the Taliban and the Afghan, fully justified because of the connection.
The fact is so many today like to say, "thank you for your service". I would prefer they spend more time being less patriotic and more concerned about why we send young men into harms way. After all the parades and all of the patriotic fervor a lot of fine young men are dead for no good reason. But then I suppose it makes some folks feel good about themselves and their country. I'm not one of them.
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Two words apply here: courage and conscience. Good job, Mr. Carroll.