Memorial Daze: Quandary of Empire
By Philip A Ferruggio
May 29, 2010
Hitler’s German army invaded and occupied Poland. Many soldiers were killed. The Japanese invaded and occupied Nanking and Shanghai. They had many soldiers killed. The same for the British when they occupied India and Palestine.
The local populations did not wish to be occupied by foreigners, especially ones with loaded guns pointed at their faces.
The Indians of the plains did not take well to our cavalry and forts. Many of the young U.S. troops were slaughtered at Little Big Horn, because they were seen as invaders.
The people of Germany, Japan, Britain and the United States mourned those soldiers killed while occupying foreign soil, and rightly so. Yet, to honor them does an injustice to the victims of their occupation.
Why? Well, in all the above instances, those nations illegally occupied the countries and territories mentioned. So, to honor a soldier that is used for such heinous acts is an injustice to both the memory of him and the memory of the victims of such assaults.
I find it strange that, now, in 2010, my town (and countless others) has decided to construct a Veterans Memorial in our city center. What they are doing is to take those who fought for defense of our nation in World War II and bundle them with those who were used to extend the U.S. empire in Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan.
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http://consortiumnews.com/2010/052910a.html