War is Hell

Title is taken from remarks by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman during the siege of Atlanta during the American Civil War.

Here at THE HOME, we have a Wall of Honor, with photos of men and women veterans.  Most of us are, at least, in our seventies. We come from times when we needed large numbers of combatants.  So much so that we needed a draft to fill ranks.  Although the Army was the only service which utilized this recruitment method, the other services were filled with volunteers seeking to avoid the draft (present company included).  The draft largely ended in the 1970’s.  As a result, a much smaller share of the populace currently serves. Will we need a Wall of Honor 20 years from now?

No, I don’t see us turning arms into plowshares any time soon.  What seems more likely is us humans blowing up this beautiful haven. Or rendering it uninhabitable through our insatiable greed. 

I worry for the little kids in the war zones, starving, maimed, hearing and witnessing stuff nobody, at any age, should.  How many PTSD cases are out there? 

Speaking of PTSD, one thing I have noticed: The guys who have experienced the worst, that is those who were shot at, are least likely to talk about it.  I was just a kid after WWII ended.  My Uncle Alfred, one of the most significant people in my early life, went through OCS and got a commission.  He served in the infantry after D-Day.  He never talked of his experiences, and developed a problem with alcohol.  He may well have been a PTSD victim.  I think it was called “shell shock” at the time.  I’ll never know.

I haven’t seen Oppenheimer.  Just as well.  I might be reminded that we developed, in the last century, the means to end our species once and for all.  Along with most of God’s creatures.  Again, during the Memorial Day Concert, I noticed a new service added to the Armed Forces Medley – the Space Force.  A new capability for our elimination?

No, Mr. Putin.  War doesn’t solve anything.