Life and Life Only

Happy Memorial Day 2009

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For our fallen sons and daughters—and for the mothers, fathers, wives, husbands and children who have grieved for their loss.

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Johnny Cash wrote and recorded the song above, “The Big Battle,” in 1961
about the fact that courage doesn’t stop at the battlefield but carries on among those for whom the dead are beloved. It borrows its images from the Civil war yet it is a delicately powerful and universal antiwar song, particularly remarkable in that, although it written during the Vietnam era, Cash recorded in well before U.S. combat troops were deployed in 1965 and the Vietnam War became a part of American life.

Can you hear the deafening rumble, can you feel the trembling ground?
It’s not just the horses and wagons, that make such a deafening sound.
For every shot fired has an echo and every man killed wanted life.
There lies your friend Jim McKinney. Can you take the news to his wife?

R.I.P. Man in Black.

10 Comments

  • I’m glad that you posted something else for Memorial Day, other than the preceding post, even though I don’t know that the word “Happy” should define the day. It’s a solemn day of gratefulness and remembrance.

    Still, in making this post, you once again evoked another liberal theme – the anti-war one. Our military doesn’t start wars. Wars are started by our civilian government when peace failed. The military ends wars.

    Can’t liberals, for just once, honor our men and women in the military, living and dead, without making some political statement?

    Just give honor to those who fell in service…period. No lessons or causes…just honor.

  • Woody, I was always going to post something specifically for Memorial Day. About “Happy,” it was not on the post when I put it up last night, but I added it today as a greeting to all of you, with whom I share this day. I think the post itself is quite solemn enough, but each to his/her own.

    As for the rest, the answer is No. I cannot honor those who fell in service without feeling the pain of their loss too. Sorry. Ain’t gonna happen. (I actually tried this year. But it felt entirely dishonest and without regard for the depth of the sacrifice—at least for me. So I put up the rest.)

    Clearly Johnny Cash felt the same way.

  • “But it felt entirely dishonest and without regard for the depth of the sacrifice—at least for me.”

    Which is precisely why it feels good to certain types…

  • Since reg likes cross-posting as much as his cross-dressing, I hope there’s no objection to me duplicating a comment here that I made elsewhere.

    Meanwhile, Obama honors America’s soldiers killed while serving our nation:

    On Golf Course, President Obama Pauses for Moment of Silent Prayer

    “In his remarks at Arlington National Cemetery this morning, President Obama called on all Americans to observe Memorial Day, a day of ‘silent remembrance and solemn prayer,’ by pausing for a moment of national unity at 3 pm this afternoon.

    For President Obama that moment came in the middle of a round of golf at Ft. Belvoir in Virginia.”

    Our men and women died for Obama’s right to play golf on Memorial Day. However, no penalty stroke was assessed, as the President didn’t delay play for his faux respect.

  • “Since reg likes cross-posting as much as his cross-dressing…”

    A compliment coming from a racist, homophobic little white trash bastard.

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