The famous photo of the American soldiers at Iwo Jima in 1945.First called “Armistice Day” to commemorate the ceasefire between Allied Forces and Germany as World War I drew to a close, Veteran’s Day evolved into a day to honor all veterans who served or died for the nation’s beliefs, the nation’s policies, and the nation’s ambitions.
This Veteran’s Day takes on special precedence I think because of the recent killings at Fort Hood and the execution of this act allegedly by one of America’s own soldiers, which I wrote a post about. So I dedicate this post to the men and women who were killed on that day – service members who were ready to give their lives for their country, but instead ended up giving it in their own country.
This day that honors our fallen heroes makes me reflect on a simple quote by A. Phillip Randolph: “Freedom is never granted; it is won.” This comes from the larger quote -
“Salvation for a race, nation or class must come from within. Freedom is never granted; it is won. Justice is never given; it is exacted and the struggle must be continuous for freedom is never a final fact, but a continuing evolving process to higher and higher levels of human, social, economic, political and religious relationship.”
There is no greater exemplars of those men and women who “win” freedoms than the armed forces of the U.S.
And although this quote was most likely inspired by the struggles of a people within this nation’s borders to find equality, the words of the quote ring true for every American. Simply by existing and carrying out daily duties outside of war zones, the men and women who are our Marines, our Air Force, our Coast Guard, our Army, our Navy give strength to the institutions and ideas that breathe life into the lives we lead here and can take for granted. The freedoms that define us, and make us uniquely and proudly American.
The same freedoms extended to every U.S. citizen, in any circumstance. Such as the fair trial of Major Hasan. Yes, as egregious as the crime he is accused of, and as painful and fresh of a memory Ft. Hood can be, public opinion has convicted him ahead of any trial – public opinion informed by what is consumed from our TVs, our laptops, our newspapers.
How can I juxtapose Veteran’s Day, with the rights of an alleged killer of soldiers en route to war? Because these fallen heroes are heroes for what they fought and diedfor. No system is perfect, but protections of personal freedoms in the Bill of Rights is so integrally American, because many in this country descended from ancestors seeking to rise above persecution or unfair treatment that these amendment seeks to correct.
Do I believe Hasan is guilty? With what I have heard, read, and seen, it is hard not to. But I respect his defense attorney, a veteran himself, for trying to swim through the muck that is public opinion and seek a fair and just trial. And because Hasan is innocent until proven guilty, I can only hope that the Government can satisfy the burden of proof to substantiate this allegation, so that justice can be served.
Justice should not be a euphemism for seeking vengeance. I want to see justice served on the killer who took 13 innocent lives and wounded others. But justice loses its balance if the end is predetermined before the middle is even traversed.
So I mourn the loss of those at Ft. Hood; the loss of those in Afghanistan, Iraq; lives lost in the Persian Gulf; the loss of those on the Korean Peninsula; fallen warriors in Vietnam; soldiers of WWII and WWI. I pay my respects to the surviving who have served, and done what many Americans would never volunteer to do. And I remember the freedoms they fought for.
Freedoms that make this the United States of America, and to the best of its ability, ensures that justice is synonymous with fair. That justice is synonymous with balance.
And like a self-sustained cycle, achieving that fair and balanced justice as one part of our freedoms as Americans will honor those gone before us who fought for that freedom, and inspire others to rise up and continue protecting the freedoms that honor not only America, but her fallen heroes.
Thank you, to my countrymen who have served in our Armed Forces.
Here is President Obama’s speech from yesterday, which I thought was his best ever. It is absolutely worth watching.
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