This Memorial Day is a day worth
particular remembrance.
particular remembrance.
Unlike the Obama Administration,
President Donald Trump’s administration does not run from honoring the service,
present and past, of our military. We really cannot adequately appreciate
their efforts on behalf of this great country. They have fought, they have
stood their ground, they have taken on the enemy. Instead of wasting time and
energy on the press, President Trump greeted Army troops with an
enthusiastic roll of “USA! USA!”
President Donald Trump’s administration does not run from honoring the service,
present and past, of our military. We really cannot adequately appreciate
their efforts on behalf of this great country. They have fought, they have
stood their ground, they have taken on the enemy. Instead of wasting time and
energy on the press, President Trump greeted Army troops with an
enthusiastic roll of “USA! USA!”
The deeds of our armed men and women
must never be forgotten. There is no worse fate for great deeds “L’oubli,”
a French term which speaks of more than misplacing one’s keys or forgetting
your anniversary. Events of historic importance can become whitewashed, watered
down, misconstrued, or gently overlooked.
must never be forgotten. There is no worse fate for great deeds “L’oubli,”
a French term which speaks of more than misplacing one’s keys or forgetting
your anniversary. Events of historic importance can become whitewashed, watered
down, misconstrued, or gently overlooked.
This philosophical forgetting can
speak of something not to be discussed, and everyone understands why. Following
years of heated civil war, the ancient Athenians agreed to “forget” the
conflict and the reasons behind it. The most profound irony in this historic
remembrance? The Athenians would celebrate their decision to forget the
massive, destructive civil war following their demoralizing defeat to the
rugged Spartans. Read more about in Remembering Defeat.
speak of something not to be discussed, and everyone understands why. Following
years of heated civil war, the ancient Athenians agreed to “forget” the
conflict and the reasons behind it. The most profound irony in this historic
remembrance? The Athenians would celebrate their decision to forget the
massive, destructive civil war following their demoralizing defeat to the
rugged Spartans. Read more about in Remembering Defeat.
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How fortunate for us Americans that
our country’s victories far outweigh the losses in our legacied history. We
should be so proud, and recognize how blessed we are, that the United States
has enjoyed a long list of international victories and for a greater
cause, too. Of course we celebrate the great works, deeds, and power of the
United States Armed Forces on Memorial Day. From the War of Independence to the
War Between the States, from World War II to Operation Desert Storm, Americans
have stepped in to fight for more than land or prestige. American forces have
fought for liberty. They have fought to ensure that the Judeo-Christian
ideals of natural law and divine rights for all mankind remain extant and firm.
our country’s victories far outweigh the losses in our legacied history. We
should be so proud, and recognize how blessed we are, that the United States
has enjoyed a long list of international victories and for a greater
cause, too. Of course we celebrate the great works, deeds, and power of the
United States Armed Forces on Memorial Day. From the War of Independence to the
War Between the States, from World War II to Operation Desert Storm, Americans
have stepped in to fight for more than land or prestige. American forces have
fought for liberty. They have fought to ensure that the Judeo-Christian
ideals of natural law and divine rights for all mankind remain extant and firm.
So, here is the best that I can do
to remember the great service of my fathers.
to remember the great service of my fathers.
My father, Arthur Caldwell Schaper,
served in Vietnam with the Sea Bees. They built the airports, the runways, all
the facilities for the troops and the generals to mount the attack. Was Vietnam
a failure? Perhaps in the short-term, but the fall of the Berlin Wall and the
stunning demise of militarized communism signaled that in the long-run, the
United States of America would stand on the right side of history, because they
stood on principle. My grandfather, Arthur Durand Schaper, served in the US
Navy, fighting in the Asian theater. Before that, he had provided aid and
help evacuate to the mainland Chinese while they were fighting the fascist
Imperial Army of Japan.
served in Vietnam with the Sea Bees. They built the airports, the runways, all
the facilities for the troops and the generals to mount the attack. Was Vietnam
a failure? Perhaps in the short-term, but the fall of the Berlin Wall and the
stunning demise of militarized communism signaled that in the long-run, the
United States of America would stand on the right side of history, because they
stood on principle. My grandfather, Arthur Durand Schaper, served in the US
Navy, fighting in the Asian theater. Before that, he had provided aid and
help evacuate to the mainland Chinese while they were fighting the fascist
Imperial Army of Japan.
Most people don’t know about my
father or his father and their service to their country, yet their service is
indeed worth remembering. Most people don’t know that Vietnam veterans faced
unparalleled hostility from their own countrymen as soon as they arrived
stateside. Why? Because they returned home though San Francisco, the epicenter
of the anti-War movement. These subtle details are worth remembering, too.
Vietnam veterans had to overcome the lingering anti-American liberalism boiling
over in academia, not just overseas.
father or his father and their service to their country, yet their service is
indeed worth remembering. Most people don’t know that Vietnam veterans faced
unparalleled hostility from their own countrymen as soon as they arrived
stateside. Why? Because they returned home though San Francisco, the epicenter
of the anti-War movement. These subtle details are worth remembering, too.
Vietnam veterans had to overcome the lingering anti-American liberalism boiling
over in academia, not just overseas.
Remembrance is also about more than
recalling something, as mentioned above. It’s also about bringing back a vivid
remembrance of something, not just getting caught up in the basic platitudes of
a person and an event. There is something about casual or annual remembrance
that causes us to diminish the greatness of the past.
recalling something, as mentioned above. It’s also about bringing back a vivid
remembrance of something, not just getting caught up in the basic platitudes of
a person and an event. There is something about casual or annual remembrance
that causes us to diminish the greatness of the past.
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Memorial Day should be the day that
counters such a lazy recognition of great achievements. For example, during the
Civil War 600,000 Americans died on American soil to end slavery. How easy it
is for us to gloss over so great a sacrifice, the magnitude of which all other
American conflicts—combined—still cannot rival. But each of those 600,000 men
had families, slave or free, and the millions more around the world who
wondered whether a government of the people, for the people, by the people
would survive or perish. How many of those men lay at night wondering whether
their country would live to see the next day? Would the scourge of slavery end,
or would it fester and spread southward throughout the Americas? It’s so easy
for us to take for granted the successful toil and anxieties of those who have
fought for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No conflict has ever
been a done deal for those in the conflict.
counters such a lazy recognition of great achievements. For example, during the
Civil War 600,000 Americans died on American soil to end slavery. How easy it
is for us to gloss over so great a sacrifice, the magnitude of which all other
American conflicts—combined—still cannot rival. But each of those 600,000 men
had families, slave or free, and the millions more around the world who
wondered whether a government of the people, for the people, by the people
would survive or perish. How many of those men lay at night wondering whether
their country would live to see the next day? Would the scourge of slavery end,
or would it fester and spread southward throughout the Americas? It’s so easy
for us to take for granted the successful toil and anxieties of those who have
fought for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No conflict has ever
been a done deal for those in the conflict.
Remembrance also forces us to look
further than the victories which ensued. I am one of a dwindling number
who can recall watching the fall of the Berlin Wall before my eyes on
television. Younger people don’t even watch television, since they can see
everyone on Facebook Live. Fewer remember that the Soviets built a wall to
divide Berlin between East and West Germany. Such harrowing divisions seem
quaint compared to today’s globalist drive. Yet Europe faced this very
unsettling, communist divide for four decades.
further than the victories which ensued. I am one of a dwindling number
who can recall watching the fall of the Berlin Wall before my eyes on
television. Younger people don’t even watch television, since they can see
everyone on Facebook Live. Fewer remember that the Soviets built a wall to
divide Berlin between East and West Germany. Such harrowing divisions seem
quaint compared to today’s globalist drive. Yet Europe faced this very
unsettling, communist divide for four decades.
I wonder how many young people even
know about the Berlin Wall? How many can connect the long-standing conflicts of
the Cold War? Have they forgotten World War II veteran and later Governor
Ronald Reagan, who announced on national television, “I would like to see that
Berlin Wall come down!” He said that in 1968, not 1988. While intellectuals and
news pundits laughed at the B-List actor and General Electric spokesman,
Governor Reagan would run for President on a clear platform opposing communism,
not content with mere containment like his political peers. Throughout his
presidency, Reagan knew that Communism was destined to fail. In 1987, he
ordered the Soviet premier “Tear down this wall!” In 1989, Reagan would chip
off a piece of the Berlin Wall for his safekeeping.
know about the Berlin Wall? How many can connect the long-standing conflicts of
the Cold War? Have they forgotten World War II veteran and later Governor
Ronald Reagan, who announced on national television, “I would like to see that
Berlin Wall come down!” He said that in 1968, not 1988. While intellectuals and
news pundits laughed at the B-List actor and General Electric spokesman,
Governor Reagan would run for President on a clear platform opposing communism,
not content with mere containment like his political peers. Throughout his
presidency, Reagan knew that Communism was destined to fail. In 1987, he
ordered the Soviet premier “Tear down this wall!” In 1989, Reagan would chip
off a piece of the Berlin Wall for his safekeeping.
![]("https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MJJQSG2myKU/WSzWbQdNySI/AAAAAAAAaY4/zj5OC5xisg8viErazSoxPiu6lPxAW48QwCLcB/s1600/800px-Berlin_1989%252C_Fall_der_Mauer%252C_Chute_du_mur_18%2BRaphael%2BThiemard.jpg") |
| The fall of the Berlin Wall (Credit: Raphael Thiemard) |
There’s one more thing all of us
must remember on this Memorial Day: Our veterans’ fight for liberty does not
end with them. We must continue their fight to ensure their legacy does not die
with them.