Memorial Day is for the soldiers, not the war

[bigtree]

Modern memorials stand for the warriors, not the war

By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-25-memorials-cover_x.htm

Grass-roots memorials to the war dead in Iraq and Afghanistan are spreading across America, and the driving force behind them is often the same: to commemorate the individuals, rather than the wars.

>>>>As Memorial Day 2005 approaches, and as the number of casualties overseas continues to swell, those on the home front aren't waiting for government-sanctioned granite to honor sacrifice. They're crafting their own memorials or spending their own money to remember the fallen by name. To them, each loss is personal, every life sacrosanct.

"Part of it is a protest against the anonymity of mass death, " says Edward Linenthal, a professor of religion and American culture at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh who wrote The Unfinished Bombing: Oklahoma City in American Memory. "We are not going to let these people remain statistics."

Whether placing crosses on a beach in California or planting trees on an Army post in Georgia, those creating tributes reflect common traits: an overwhelming urge to act, a shared desire to honor sacrifice, and a commitment that no death go unrecognized.



The Santa Barbara Chapter of the Veterans For Peace places a cross for every soldier killed in Iraq on the beach every Sunday.

[TornadoTN]

1. Didn't you get the memo?

You can't support the troops without supporting the war!

And that picture, you'll have to take it down, its undermining the sanctity of marriage!

:sarcasm:

[Goblinmonger]

2. And that avatar

Don't know what it is, but it can't be good.

[bigtree]

5. wife's art

[Goblinmonger]

7. It's very cool

I just thought my comment would be a funny addition.

[G_j]

3. when will they pick a day to honor the civilians

killed in war? It is a fact that women & children suffer the most in war.

[bigtree]

4. I should have included the civilians, of course

I do think those killed in these military actions deserve a day of recognition for their sacrifice, and I believe we should take some time out of the day to pay some tribute to those fallen, injured, and displaced as a result of our government's military meddling.

So, that would include civilians and innocents affected, and their families as well.

[G_j]

6. that wasn't

directed at you. It is just something I wonder about.
I would love to see a separate day to honor the innocent/civilian victims of war.