A sad lack of memory
March 02, 2004
Mark Bernstein writes about some ignorant drip saying, in reference to the Passion of Christ (of all things), that "No war has been fought on American soil." Mark observes:
The ghosts of Horseheads and Bunker Hill and Yorktown, of Shiloh and Antietam and Gettysburg, of Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee and Tippecanoe, must wonder what the hell these people were thinking.
I couldn't agree more. Even the hyperbole about the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the relatively low number of deaths in that event, does a disservice to the bloodshed we've seen in our not-all-that-distant past. The best way to remind yourself is to visit the historic battlefields, or what's left of them, thanks to groups like Civil War Preservation Trust.
I grew up in the DC area and had the opportunity to visit Antietem, Gettysburg, Harper's Ferry and and Manassas on more than one occasion. I admit I was attracted primarily by the strange contrast between the now-verdant and lush natural beauty of these places and the memory of carnage past; striking...
Posted by: Stefan Keydel | March 02, 2004 at 11:48 PM
Remember Pearl Harbor.
Posted by: Robert | March 04, 2004 at 01:23 AM
Stefan -- When I last visited Gettysburg, it was in the Fall, and they bare trees and crisp air really added to the landscape. Even tho it wasn't a very "accurate" representation of how it must have looked at the time of the battle. (Wrong season, never mind the "Pickett's All You Can Eat Buffet" diner across the street.)
Robert -- D'oh! And Pearl Harbor is within currently-living memory, so the ignorance of the original statement is even worse!
Posted by: Gordon | March 04, 2004 at 09:55 AM