Memorial Day

Spent the morning playing a Memorial Day tribute at a nearby park. One of the speakers commented on the number of townspeople who died in WWII, to the effect that we should be proud of the relative size of our city's sacrifice. It got me thinking about the slippery slope of martyrdom; where, exactly, do we draw the line between self-sacrifice for the values we hold as a nation, and the glorification of these lives lost without an equally critical examination of that expense to our country?

On one point I will agree: these men and women deserve to be remembered for their nobility in ensuring our country's security. However, we owe these most loyal of patriots owe the duty of ensuring that failed policies are acknowledged and changed before more legions of their peers are lost, and before "victory" becomes something that can only be effected by spin doctoring.