Something on my Mind: Short Days Ago We lived (2)

Remembrance Day is over, but let's try to retain what the day stands for. It would be good to have the memory linger for a long time.

It's much like Christmas, isn't it, though I don't want to cheapen the grimness of pain with the glibness of pleasure.

We spend a lot of time gearing up for that one day, then poof, it's gone. I have always wished that the goodness of that day would linger for the weeks and months that follow—you know, "goodwill to all men" and all that.

One of my greatest sources for history is a magazine, Canada's History (CH), formerly known as the The Beaver. CH has been ramping up the war articles in the last two to three issues, this being the 100^th anniversary of the end of WW I.

I have been intrigued with their focus on the human element, something many of us forget. Those who fought in the two great wars, plus other major skirmishes, were just ordinary, common people. They came from every temperament, trade and town, across our land.

Have you ever thought what our world would like if the Germans hadn't been stopped in World War II? It's hard to imagine even thinking like that because the Germans are now so much a part and parcel of our culture. It seems so stupid and senseless to be blowing each other up, killing each other at random, then only a few years later we're all colleagues.

But the ugly fact is, the enemy (then) had to be stopped. Same thing with the Japanese: The bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima was not your average fist fight. Was it necessary? If not what would have happened if the Japanese hadn't been stopped with those bombs? Comparing then to now, it seems strange that our enemies are now our friends. .

Consider the following:

One, for an evil to be stopped, another greater force must confront it. No resistance, no freedom. We all need to sit up, stand up, and speak up, for our freedom--if we cherish it. It's easy to come up with all the answers from the comfort of our easy chairs when we're not directly involved, or hiding behind goofy placards and senseless protests. Armchair soldiers are the bane of all wars.

Two, the guys in the trenches are just ordinary fellows. They didn't invent the war; they were just following orders from higher authorities. I am not saying they were innocent participants. I am saying is that any war crimes should be levied against the ones who didn't necessarily commit them but directed them, namely, those same higher authorities. (Figure that one out.) The Nuremberg Trials are a good example of that.

Three, if you cannot support the war effort by joining the army, at least do something to show your support. One of those flag decals on the back of your car is a good place to start. Maybe age, physical ability, even conscience, may not allow one to be actively involved, but there are other creative ways to affirm the soldiers.

A standing army is necessary, no question about it. To protest its purpose is irresponsible and immature. We have freedoms across our land for which our soldiers fought and died for. And the sad thing is, these freedoms are fading through this next generation that just doesn't get what true freedom is.

I agree with a medical doctor from Canada, , John McCrae (author of "In Flander's Fields"): "To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high."