Memorial Day Misgivings

I hesitate to write on this subject for fear of being labeled unpatriotic, uncaring, a Communist or worse. I am about to question an icon of American culture and I’m sure it won’t be well received by some. Yet, my conscience drives me to speak, so I will regardless of the cost.

I truly appreciate the sacrifice of men and women in the US armed forces. Their valor is admirable. Their willingness to put their lives on the line for a cause bigger than themselves is to be emulated. I have nothing but gratitude and words of praise for their commitment. My only question is: For what purpose did they sacrifice their lives?

On Memorial Day we remember those who have died to “preserve our freedom,” but, if we’re honest, can we really conclude that’s what they gave their lives for? How many wars fought under the banner of the US flag were genuinely for the sake of our liberty? I can only think of three: the War for Independence; the War for Southern Independence (erroneously called a civil war); and possibly World War II. (I say “possibly” because the Freedom of Information Act of the mid-1990s revealed FDR’s eight-step plan to manipulate Japan into attacking Pearl Harbor.) American freedom was seriously threatened only in these wars. One could reasonably argue that all the rest were fought for economic or territorial interests. The past 100 hundred years in particular have witnessed the deployment, maiming, and death of our troops for the expansion of the US empire, imposing its hegemony across the globe.

I fear that Memorial Day instills a healthy remembrance, but also a malignant forgetfulness. We should remember the heroic actions of our soldiers. A day may come when we too will have the choice to lay down our lives for others or to preserve ourselves at the expense of a noble cause. The blanket honoring of our fallen warriors in all wars on Memorial Day, however, lulls us into a forgetful stupor. We no longer ask if our troops were or are fighting just wars. We take it as a given that we’re always on the side of righteousness and all of our enemies are on the side of evil. In our desire to honor the valiant dead we vindicate all of America’s battles in every generation. Healthy introspection disappears in flag waving jingoism.

This past Sunday I was struck by the power of remembrance during our Memorial Day worship service. In numerous places God calls His people to remember the past so as to determine their present and future actions. The Israelites were commanded to remember that the LORD God had delivered them with a mighty hand out of Egypt. The purpose was so that they’d never bow the knee to idols and false gods. Jesus told His disciples to remember His crucified body and shed blood through the broken bread and poured out cup. They were to follow their Master’s lead by offering their lives sacrificially for the Gospel. Remembering shapes us and guides our forward vision.

Is it possible that our government’s promotion of Memorial Day has power over us as well? Might the patriotic fervor be a tool bending us to the politicians’ will? Perhaps what we experience each year prepares masses of young men and women to throw their bodies beneath the national juggernaut in the name of liberty, but really to fuel their overlords’ insatiable lust for power. Our soldiers’ courage is stirring, but the rightness of the federal cause is suspect.