Seeking Peace to Honor Those Who Have Fallen

Memorial Day is a tough topic for me. I always want to show gratitude to those who have served our country with honor, and I never want to be disrespectful. My father and his brothers served in WWII, one of them died in France. The war defined my family in ways which are difficult to explain. Such was the case for many families.

My dad died on July 4, 2009. He did not like war. In fact, even though I never heard him use the word "hate" that I can remember, he felt what could be described as hatred for all of the wars the U.S. has fought/is fighting in the Middle East. "How can you fight a war when you don't even know who the enemy is?" he would often say. His disdain was directed at the leaders who have gotten us involved in these wars and not the men and women who are fighting them. Such is the case with me.

Military men and women sacrifice so much, emotionally, often physically, and sometimes they die, leaving behind grieving families -- mothers, fathers, wives and children. I think the greatest desire of all of us is that no such loss is in vain. Can't we use the memory of those who have fallen to question the policies which embroil us in one conflict after another? Is it unpatriotic to say the price is too high to fight with no clear goal in sight? Can we at least consider that the 'war on terror' may be counter-productive? 

I believe the best way to honor the memory of those who have died in conflict is to seek peace above all else. Somehow, there are those who seem to be, oddly, almost offended by the notion of mentioning peace on Memorial Day. They say talk of peace is naive and even misguided. But I call to remembrance the words of Jesus when he said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." He taught The Way of peace, not of war. He radically commanded that we love our enemies. 

I find Memorial Day to be the perfect day to talk about peace. My father who gave up so much, at so many levels, during WWII believed it was worth the sacrifice for his country to do what he did, knowing it was a necessary war if there ever was one. But it didn't make him love war. It didn't make him glorify combat. War is hell. Perhaps that's what we should remember.