"There is no such thing as a hero - only ordinary people asked ordinary people asked extraordinary things in terrible circumstances -- and delivering." (Timothy Mo)

America, as a nation, has a complex history or war. We were born from war (Revolutionary War) and ultimately and forged, galvanized and forever united by a war in which we slaughtered our countrymen wholesale (Civil War). We have fought and died in "good wars" (World War II) and "bad" wars (Viet Nam). We have fought trumped-up wars (Spanish-American War) and wars of conquest (Mexican-American War). We have fought "cold" wars and decidedly "hot" wars, wars against terrorism and wars against, well, poverty. (Before you say, "Hey, nobody was killed in the war on poverty!", think again). I don’t think anyone would dispute that we have had, as a nation, our share of wars and our share of enemies and, fortunately, friends.

I will not make an attempt at defending war as an "extension of politics by other means," nor will I argue that America has always been "right" (whatever that may mean and to whom) in fighting wars. What I will say is that we, as citizens of this country, have an absolute duty to remember those men and women who have died in war serving this nation, especially on Memorial Day. We have one day set aside each year to perform that noble and obligatory homage. There can be no rationale objection - no equivocation - on this. No matter what our personal views may be, we all owe much to those who have sacrificed all in service to their country and their fellow citizens.

Even further, I say that never again should we allow the passions we may harbor against any particular war or those holding political power who choose to wage war, safe in their respective national capitals, affect our treatment of the citizens who serve in our armed forces. The "boots on the ground" do not start wars nor do they establish objectives and policies ("rules of engagement," "hostile targets," etc.) These are tasks done by elected and appointed leaders of government and the Department of Defense. These men and these institutions are the rightful focus for protest. Too often in the past, the soldiers, themselves, become the concenter of our personal storm of our dissent.

The treatment that certain segments of the American populace heaped upon the returning soldiers during the Viet Nam War is a dark stain on the fabric of our country’s identity and pride from which we are only now beginning to recover. The confusion and doubt that some of the veterans of that unfortunate time in our history will bear the psychological scars of that unjustified affront for the remainder of their lives. The anger and distrust they bear in their souls for their citizenry and their nation have irreparably changed their lives, forever. The counterfeit disgrace they harbor was minted on our own misguided and unjustified presses.

Our citizen soldiers deserve only our gratitude and unwavering appreciation for their sacrifices on our behalf. No matter the conflict and no matter our politics, there are more appropriate outlets for our personal opinions. Protest, write letters, burn flags and march through the streets to your heart’s content if you are against any war. The soldiers that have died for your right to do that very thing over the past 2 centuries will continue to defend those rights. They are not, however, the logical or moral focus of your outrage.

Those who would argue with their insipid rhetoric that "There would be no wars if soldiers simply laid down the arms and said ‘no!’" have absolutely no knowledge of history and less understanding of the world around them. As Herbert Hoover sagely observed, "Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die." These young men and women - who neither conceive of nor start wars - these, our soldiers, are to be honored for their service and their sacrifices. If you have issues, take it up with the "old men."

And, if you take to the streets in protest or your voice rages against the "wrongness of war" or you burn an American flag in anger, always remember: it is the soldier who has sacrificed in far away places and done exceptional things under horrible circumstances so that you may do these things in our Nation.

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. " (John Stuart Mill)