Service

Memorial Day: A Refection On the Fight For America.

On January 5^th, 1971, my father drove me to downtown Cleveland to the Federal plaza where I boarded a Greyhound bus for Fort Jackson South Carolina to fulfill my service in the United States Army. I was drafted, number 14 in the lottery. That fateful day I was acutely aware I was swimming against the political current of the Viet Nam war, by joining or in this case being forced to join the army. I protested against the war. I wrote an essay or two about ‘conviction’ basically attempting to thread the needle between objecting to a war and fulfilling my duty to the country that had meant so much to my family and to me.

My grandfather served in the Army air corps and was shot down over Germany. He spent three years in a German Stalag. My father served in the Korean war as an infantry officer. My grandmother built ships in Philadelphia. She was a real Rosy the riveter. My cousin was a Green Beret in Viet Nam. My uncle was in the navy serving in Alaska. My mother was a candy striper helped veterans recover from their injuries and later led the way for women rights in the Democratic party. My family has always served our country. We served in other ways, working in Philadelphia democratic politics and less grand ways by bringing food to the old lady Miller down the street because she couldn’t walk to the store. I am engaged and respectful of other’s opinions, but I will not tolerate racism, misogyny, or stupidity, although stupidity can be forgiven.  

What my family fought against was fascism and communism. What we fight for is Democracy and freedom. On this Memorial Day our country is leaning toward fascism, and this pains me beyond belief. The Republican party and Donald Trump are a stain on our ideals they prey on the weakest of us. They are anti-American and anti-constitutional. I fought and nearly lost my life so everyone could have the right to speak their piece. I will continue to fight for the constitution and the men and women who stood in the breech and gave their lives for it.

The men I served with and the generations that proceeded me by setting the example of sacrifice and service are celebrated today. I didn’t fight for those who spit on service and the constitution to their nation. Defamers are the enemy and the enemy controls the Republican party.

I served two tours in Viet Nam spending a great deal of time in Laos and Cambodia. In Cambodia where there occurred a horrible genocide I saw first-hand a society lose its mind. Lies, grievances, political idealism, false narratives, and the fundamental distrust in serving your neighbor and your country resulted in 1.5 to 2 million Cambodians dead. I fear we are going down that road unless we bring humility, service, and community to our neighborhoods and stomp out greed, victimhood, and religious certainty.  

There is only service to your neighbor, your fellow citizen and the values of our country without which we have war and genocide.    

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