Memorial Day - 2006

Well it's Memorial Day once again. I've taken my mother on the yearly trek to cemeteries in Western Oregon, a tradition that will end when my mother is gone. Memorial Day is a day to remember those who fell in battle. At 60 my entire life was shaped by the Vietnam war. The American people were lied to by both a Democratic and Republican administration and over 58,000 young Americans died for those lies. But the toll is much higher. I also remember the 10's of thousands who were never able to realize their potential because their bodies and minds were broken as a result of that conflict. Now I don't know anyone who has served in Iraq but I knew many who died in Vietnam and many more who carried the pain of that war through their entire lives. My mistrust of the government began 40 years ago and has only been reinforced over time. Young men still die for corporate profits and political power. And over 30 years later history repeats itself:
Four marines singled out in Iraq massacre investigation
Young men will be punished for doing what they were trained to do - kill - and those ultimately responsible will go unpunished. Still more broken lives.