MEMORIAL DAY – AT 9:53 A.M. ET:  I have very little to add to the general statements about the meaning of Memorial Day.  I would never try to lecture our informed, pro-defense readership about the importance of this day. 

Let me, however, make two points:  I've noticed in recent weeks that leftist writers are trying to advance the theme that we are becoming a "war" nation, that days like Memorial Day glorify war, and that by exalting the warrior we are more likely to send him into battle.  Some of these writers even regret military flyovers at sports events.

This, of course, is nonsense, and mean-spirited nonsense at that.  Recalling the sacrifice of a warrior no more glorifies war than a eulogy at a funeral glorifies heart disease.  We recall the individual who made the sacrifice, we recall the sacrifice with respect, but we also regret that he or she ever had to make it in the first place.  I know of no instance where any Memorial Day remembrance has led to a call for more war.  And military demonstrations above sports events have never led to calls for invading current enemies. 

Barbara Ward, the late British economist, once wrote that America is almost a pacifist nation, and remarked on how difficult it was to get Americans to go to war.  That is correct, and noble.  Committing soldiers to battle should always be done with resolve, but also with reluctance and regret.  In 1941, only months before Pearl Harbor, and many months after the start of World War II in Europe, an extension of our draft act only passed the House by one vote.  Between the end of the war in 1945 and the end of 1946, we dismantled 90% of our armed forces, a decision we would later regret.  Sending forces into Korea in 1950 was intensely unpopular, and severely damaged support for President Truman, whose greatness has since been recognized.  And Vietnam effectively destroyed Lyndon Johnson. 

We are reluctant warriors.  We honor our warriors in large measure because we understand what they've done for us, how extraordinary their sacrifice is.  Those who disparage this respect and try to twist it into war-mongering are often leftists who oppose all national defense because they have contempt for their own country or a certain regard for our opponents.

My second point:  Last weekend I visited the World War II memorial in Washington for the first time.  It is not, as has been pointed out many times, a great work of art.  It is large and mainly uninformative.  It is divided into two sections – Atlantic and Pacific, but does not advance one's knowledge of the conflict to any degree.  That said, it is difficult to memorialize an event so large.  It is much easier to memorialize a single individual, as we have done so well with the Lincoln Memorial.  The outstanding feature of the World War II memorial is that it exists.  It has become a meeting place for the remaining veterans of that conflict, and for young people on high-school trips to Washington.  At least these kids are reminded of the war, and we hope they will try to learn further.   The veterans often come on "honor flights" from their hometowns.  And some volunteer to answer questions from other visitors.

It may not be a great memorial – we could have done better – but it is a dignified effort.  It is not propagandistic.  Nothing is being sold except the memory of a valiant struggle.  If you are in Washington, I urge you to visit, if only to talk to other visitors, some of whom will probably be veterans.

May 26,  2014