“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” I have seen this quote attributed to both George Orwell and Winston Churchill and the truth of its origin will probably never be known of any certainty. But, the sentiment is true. It is easy to be a pacifist when there are others who are willing to see to it that we live in peace, safe from those who would intentionally do us harm.
In America, following World War I, there was an effort, a movement, on the part of some to become serious pacifists. There may have been such movements following our other wars, but if so, those movements did not gain a strong foothold in American society. The thing that made the movement of the 1920s and 1930s different was that we had come through a terrible war, the Great War, the war to end all wars. Thinking people could see how technology, which was exceeding all expectations, was overtaking our desire to fight among nations. War was simply becoming too horrific to be tolerated. The wanton destruction of people and things had achieved such levels that people felt they had to seek alternatives and find some kind of peace. And, just perhaps, they thought, they needed to take a stand, refusing to fight at all, refusing to engage even in a defensive effort.
That was all very well and fine during peacetime. When no one is attacking you, it is easy to be a pacifist. When the only people threatened by warfare are those who are outside the parameter of those for whom we have any concern, it is easy to ignore atrocities and violence and take our stand on a higher plain of pacifism.
Harry Emerson Fosdick comes readily to mind. He was perhaps the most influential preacher of that era and he used his influence to try to form a pacifist movement in America following World War I. He, personally, became an avowed pacifist. This worked fine until the atrocities of Mussolini’s Italian invasion of Ethiopia and Hitler’s expansion into neighboring European countries, together with Hitler’s persecution of the Jews as well as weaker elements of German society, came to the knowledge of informed people in America. (His persecution of the weak and underprivileged was known early, however the full extent of his atrocities were unknown until after World War II.)
Those of us who have not fought for our country, regardless of the conflict, have benefitted greatly from those “rough men” who stood ready to do violence on our behalf. Recognizing the truth of this should in no way glorify war. There is nothing glorious about it. Sherman’s remark that “war is hell” is true. It wreaks havoc and destruction on life and property. And when it is all over, has anyone actually come out victorious? The simple answer is that sometimes indeed there is a victory. But, sometimes the conclusion is tenuous at best. Often, the same conclusion could have been reached through diplomatic methods. What was really accomplished by the defeat of Hitler’s armies? Land boundaries reverted back basically to their pre-war placement. Governments remained intact. An evil regime was defeated, certainly a good thing, but the question will never be satisfactorily answered as to what created this evil in the first place. Had the evil not been created, the war would never have happened.
This sounds overly simplistic, but it is so complicated that the achievable goal of peace is too often not achieved at all.
We should and do honor those who serve in the military, securing our independence from other sovereigns who would deprive us of our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. One of the things I have always found amazing is the dedication our military has for the rule of law we cherish in this country, and our mutual devotion to the principals contained and promulgated in our Constitution. In the history of this great nation, there has never been a time when our armed forces, or even a segment of it, have attempted to depose civilian control of the government or even the military. This is guaranteed by the Constitution and is obviously a sacred idea for the military. (One can perhaps argue that the secession movement leading to the Civil War was a violation of this principal. However, there is every reason to believe that had it been left to the soldiers in the military who eventually served in the Confederacy, they would never have agreed to secession from the Union. Secession was decided by politicians and only then did those military men from the South agree to bear arms against their country.)
A very small percentage of our overall population has served in the military. And, only a tiny fraction of that number has died in service to their country. These people must be honored. In our collective memory, young men, eighteen and twenty year olds, died to defend us against the aggression of the Nazis of Germany and the Imperialists of Japan. These young men who never got to know their wives and children, who never knew what it was for their hair to turn gray and for their joints to ache from such a simple thing as old age, who never knew the joy of playing with grandchildren, these young men must not be forgotten. The tragedy of their youthful sacrifice is a sacred memory.
Regardless of the politics of the war, we have a sacred duty to honor those who died in our name. And, a sacred duty to honor those who even served in our name.
With that said, we must be cautious about setting the military up as an idol. They are not “super Americans,” they are simply Americans who have chosen a certain life of danger and sacrifice. Is their worth greater than that of a school teacher? Only during the heat of battle. In the classroom, helping young children grow to manhood and womanhood, I would put my money on the teacher. Is the military’s worth greater than that of a garbage collector? Yes, in the heat of battle. But, if you have ever seen a large modern city during a garbage strike, you know that the service of those men and women under such circumstances is incomparable.
The honor we give to men and women who serve in harm’s way is both special and deserved. It is appropriate. These men and women have agreed to bear arms. They will kill in our name and they are on the front line of battle where they may be killed in our name. They are the “rough men and women” who make my sleep possible.
No one in my family has served in the American military since the Civil War. My great grandfather fought for the Union while my other great grandfather and great, great grandfather fought for the Confederacy. One of my grandfathers was born while Abraham Lincoln was President of the United States. Born during the Civil War, his life was shaped and defined by that terrible war. My father was born just after World War I and his life was shaped and defined by that war to end all wars. I was born during World War II and my life was shaped and defined by that terrible worldwide struggle between the nations on the earth.
Now, having tasted the horrors of war, we have come to understand that there must be a better way to resolve our conflicts. Our technology has become too destructive to unleash it on one another. That was a lesson we learned in World War II. The problem is that today’s wars are not being fought between “civilized” nations, nations that follow certain rules of engagement and declare a cessation of hostilities when peace terms are agreed on. Today’s wars all too often involve uncivilized fanatics who, having perceived that they have been deprived of opportunities in the present world, have cast their lot with religious and self-righteous zealots in a conflict they can never win, yet one in which they likely will never be defeated.
My grandfather was too old to fight in World War I; I do not know what caused him to avoid serving in the Spanish-American War. My father was called up near the end of World War II, but for its own reasons the government allowed him to return home. I came of age during the war in Vietnam, however, I was neither drafted nor did I look for the line wherein volunteers stood offering their own lives in a losing cause. I never criticize people who did not serve during a time of war because, when the time came, neither did I. However, I do criticize those who avoided service and then are loudest in demanding the commitment of our military to death demanding conflicts. There is no honor when those who avoided fighting demand others fight and die. There is no honor when men and women call for wars in which their own children are not required to fight, yet the sons and daughters of others are suffering injury and death.
Whoever said it, I am one who sleeps peaceably in my bed at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on my behalf. And, I honor those who make it so.
