American Tears & America's White Table
I attended my granddaughter's elementary school's Veterans Day program today. Veterans were specifically invited to come to the program and have lunch with their students afterward. I'm not a veteran, but I attended because my granddaughter was singing (in a large group, but still) and she invited me. Sage and her classmates sang "American Tears," and then the fifth graders read and enacted "America's White Table". I had never heard of either the song or the book until today. There was a recognition of each of the veterans who were in attendance; probably more than half the people there were veterans, so I assume that everyone else was their family members.
I felt very out of place in that room, like my lifelong antiwar stance was obvious somehow. I hate what the Military Industrial Complex has done to the world, and, at 61, I STILL hold out hope for world peace (I know, the dream dies hard for some of us). But I also feel for the soldiers and their families. I can't imagine that anyone survives combat completely intact. Even if they live through it and don't come home physically maimed, there has to be some emotional and or spiritual damage from being in a position where they had to kill or be killed.
I heard over and over today about how the soldiers have fought for our freedom and liberty and I had to force myself not to think about the last several wars being fought for the enrichment of plutocrats. I DO respect the sacrifices of soldiers and feel sad for their families. But it seemed like today's event was also kind of celebrating, and even promoting, war.
Anyway, I stayed for the whole program, but I didn't stay for lunch. That lunch was for the veterans and their families and I didn't want to intrude.