“EARN THIS. EARN IT.”
Those were the last words spoken by Capt. John H. Miller in Steven Spielberg’s landmark 1998 war film, “Saving Private Ryan.” He speaks the words to the titular Private Ryan, but he also speaks them to us, the descendants of the men who went ashore on June 6, 1944. He was saying, “Do you see what we went through to save our civilization? Be worth this cost.”
Today is the 69th anniversary of that terrible and critical day known as D-Day, and I think reflecting on whether we have kept ourselves, as a country, worthy of the sacrifice of those who lost their lives — of those, too, who surrendered their limbs, and even their sanity — is a question worth asking on anniversaries like this.
It is easy to romanticize World War II, judging by the hundreds of movies, television shows and novels that glorify it. The reality of actual WWII combat, for those who actually fought in it, was by most accounts I’ve come across about as horrific as human beings can bear.
I have an uncle who fought in the Pacific, and I once had a conversation with him that went like this:
“You were in the Pacific, weren’t you, Uncle Leonard?”
“Yes.”
“Where did you serve?”
“Okinawa.”
“I heard that got rough.”
“Yes,” he answered in a way that both hinted at an inconsolable grief, and that also indicated the discussion was over.
But WWII was terrible not only for the ones who actually did the fighting and dying; it was also terrible for every family who sat at home, dreading the telegrams that were the War Department’s method for notifying families that a loved one had been lost in combat. There was a poignant saying during the war: “They also serve who sit and wait.”
I have spoken to people who were alive during the war, as well as those who were born within a few years immediately after it, and one thing I keep hearing about is the commitment of the Greatest Generation to do everything possible to make a world where such terrible carnage would never happen again.
The establishment on the United Nations, the Marshall Plan and many other international institutions was (at least in part) an expression of this commitment. I think also that the progress made in the decades after the war against racism (especially in its de jure forms, but also in its de facto expressions) can be seen as a reaction against the racism of Germany and Japan.
The Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Dwight Eisenhower spoke to the futility of war in his farewell speech at the end of his presidency, and I think we can honor the sacrifices of those who died on the battlefields of the Second World War by taking to heart his words:
“As we peer into society’s future, we — you and I, and our government — must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without asking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.
“Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect …
“Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose. Because this need is so sharp and apparent I confess that I lay down my official responsibilities in this field with a definite sense of disappointment. As one who has witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war — as one who knows that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years — I wish I could say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight.
“Happily, I can say that war has been avoided. Steady progress toward our ultimate goal has been made. But, so much remains to be done. As a private citizen, I shall never cease to do what little I can to help the world advance along that road.
“So — in this my last good night to you as your President — I thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for public service in war and peace. I trust that in that service you find some things worthy; as for the rest of it, I know you will find ways to improve performance in the future.
“You and I — my fellow citizens — need to be strong in our faith that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace with justice. May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nation’s great goals.
“To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America’s prayerful and continuing aspiration:
“We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its spiritual blessings; that those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disappear from the Earth, and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love.”
Matt Talbot is a writer and poet, as well as an old Benicia hand. He works for a tech start-up in San Francisco.
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From the above article:
“As we peer into society’s future, we — you and I, and our government — … We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.”
From the era of General Dwight D. Eisenhower to the present day trial of private Bradley Manning…a wake-up call for the community to consider…
http://www.globalresearch.ca/bradley-manning-prisoner-of-conscience/5337661
From the above article:
” As we peer into society’s future we –you and I, and our government”…”We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.”
From the article below:
“The moral order is inverted. The criminal class is in power. We are the prey. Manning, in a just society, would be a prosecution witness against war criminals. Those who committed these crimes should be facing prison. But we do not live in a just society.”
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/10-2
From the above article:
“As we peer into society’s future, we–we you and I, and our government”…” We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.”
–President Dwight D. Eisenhower
From the article below:
“The surveillance revealed by Snowden’s disclosures exposes this executive coup: that this is done with Congress briefed, but without the ability to resist or even debate the measures openly, makes a mockery of the separation of powers. What has been created is the infrastructure of a police state.”
–Daniel Ellsberg
http://www.zcommunications.org/edward-snowden-saving-us-from-the-united-stasi-of-america-by-daniel-ellsberg
The question of was it worth it will linger as long as any of our leaders can get away with “what difference does it make” or “sh.. happens”. Eisenhower, and many before and after him, were willing to accept responsibility as a mandate in their elected and appointed positions. That should be the very least we expect of such individuals today – irrespective of party or political leaning.
What’s your opinion about politicians who deliberately fog up the public discourse with manufactured “scandals”?
Yep, that’s most of the manufactured scandals. They’re not even bumps in the road. There’s a reason that none of these scandals ever really amounted to anything … that’s because there was nothing really there to being with.
Regarding Holder holding Congress in contempt, I personally hold Congress in contempt, and I’m guessing you do too. So, we probably have something in common, haha.
Do you mean the New York Times? Perhaps you should do a little more digging. Their conclusion w respect to the latest revelation is “The administration has now lost all credibility on this issue. Mr. Obama is proving the truism that the executive branch will use any power it is given and very likely abuse it.” That, sire or ms, is an incredible indictment from a liberal and very supportive source. IN ANY CASE, I DON’T CARE ABOUT THE POLITICAL PERSUASIONS OF THOSE WE ELECT. I DO CARE ABOUT WHETHER THEY ARE WILLING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, EITHER DIRECTLY OR THROUGH THE CALIBER AND QUALITY OF THOSE THEY APPOINT. If you don’t care you can suffer the consequences of the outcomes. Just remember when the sh..t hits the fan it is never distributed evenly.
OK Reg, I’ve googled your quote and I see that this is a very-recent New York Times opinion regarding intelligence surveillance. On this particular subject, I agree with you that we citizens have a legitimate concern in understanding how our government tracks us. So, I wouldn’t put this in the category of manufactured scandals.
On a side note, I’ve heard the argument that the Washington Post and the New York Times are liberal, so any criticism by them against a Democrat is especially powerful. The truth is more complex. Both newspapers have opinion columnists that lean one way or the other. For example, Jennifer Rubin writes for the Washington Post, and she’s certainly not an Obama supporter.
And, for the record, I’ll concede that this particular opinion in the New York Times is from the Editorial Board, which is generally more substantive than an individual columnist.
No kidding.
On June 5, 2013, local Benicia resident Will Gregory posted the following: From the era of General Dwight D. Eisenhower to the present day trial of private Bradley Manning…a wake-up call for the community to consider…
http://www.globalresearch.ca/bradley-manning-prisoner-of-conscience/5337661
Readers who may have agreed with the last paragraph of General Eisenhower’s speech quoted in Matt Talbot’s thoughtful column should take note that Gregory’s citation contains words with which General Eisenhower would definitely not agree, such as the following:
“Today the peoples of the world are likewise asking themselves: Where are the “good” Americans? Well, there are some good Americans. They are getting prosecuted for protesting against and resisting illegal U.S. military interventions and war crimes around the world. Private Bradley Manning is America’s equivalent to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Vaclav Havel, Andrei Sakharov, Wei Jingsheng, Aung San Suu Kyi, and others. He is the archetypal American Hero whom we should be bringing into our schools and teaching our children to emulate, not those wholesale purveyors of gratuitous violence and bloodshed adulated by the U.S. government, America’s financial power elite, the mainstream corporate news media, and its interlocked entertainment industry.”
Good comments Bruce
A reminder:
“A basic provision of the [Nuremberg] Charter is that to plan, prepare, initiate, or wage a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements, and assurances, or to conspire or participate in a common plan to do so, is a crime.
…We must make clear to the Germans that the wrong for which their fallen leaders are on trial is not that they lost the war, but that they started it.”
Robert H. Jackson (1892-1954), U.S. Chief Justice and former Chief U.S. Nuremberg prosecutor.
I noticed there was the words of pray used in this article. From other people not the author. I have no problem with that at all. I do think we all or most pray to God that D-Day never happens again. As far as manufactured “scandals” I do believe they are not manufactured and are the real thing. Just like D-Day was the real thing. God Bless American on this very important day for all Americans and others who believe in freedom. America will fight in many ways to keep these freedoms that we all enjoy in place . We will fight the fight alone if necessary for everyones freedoms. These hearings on these scandals shows Americans that we care and will not let anyone destroy our Constitutional rights.
see above
I completely agree that people should be concerned about their Constitutional rights. There are some tricky issues regarding surveillance and other topics that we as a society must discuss.
Unfortunately, too many politicians and their media counterparts manufacture scandals for political and ideological gain.