A Personal Apology to the Victims of War

Today is Memorial Day 2016. It’s a day to remember the millions upon millions who have been killed in war. It’s a day we all feel a semblance of the sorrow millions feel everyday thinking about the child, the friend, the brother, the uncle, the wife they will never see again. Today is when we recollect the multitude of tragedies felt by so many.

 

As this day approached, I’ve been thinking of the mistakes I made in my life as it pertains to the nation, the military, and soldiers themselves. I’ve done, thought, believed, and said many things in my life that were harmful to the well-being of American soldiers. I spent most of my life participating in and encouraging a culture which has resulted in and continues to result in the death of millions. For these things, I would like to apologize.

 

I’m sorry for participating in the propagandistic religious rituals of the State. I’m sorry for standing with the crowd, staring at the flag, putting my hand over my heart, and reciting the pledge of allegiance. I’m sorry for taking off my hat, putting my hand over my heart again, and looking on at the piece of colored cloth with pride while someone sang the national anthem. I now realize these things are designed to create emotional and spiritual devotion in children, turning them into mindless followers of their nation’s rulers.

 

I’m sorry for believing and spreading war propaganda. I’m sorry for believing 9/11 was an isolated incident, unrelated to the hundreds of thousands of innocent middle easterners dead as the result of US foreign policy.  I’m sorry for thinking starting a war in Afghanistan was a reasonable way to hold Al Qaeda accountable. I’m sorry for believing the ridiculous notion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction other than the ones the US gave them that they subsequently destroyed, and for thinking the presence of such weapons justifies an invasion. More than buying into these absurd notions, I’m remorseful for repeating them, arguing for them, and spreading these rationalizations of violent aggression. I now realize these ideas were deceptive and manipulative, designed to convince the populace to go along with sending their young men and women to kill and to die pointlessly.

 

I’m sorry for engaging in the type of soldier glorifying behaviors which encourage people to join the military. I’m sorry for all the times I thanked troops for their service. I’m sorry for thinking and acting as if troops were heroes. I’m sorry for believing and propagating the idea that the US Military fights for the freedom of US Citizens. This perception, despite being widespread, can be proven false in a moment by any thinking person. The invention that troops fight for freedom is a façade to hide the truth: troops fight to satisfy the lust for wealth and power of politicians and their brothers in arms.

 

Today I feel these tragedies on many levels. Every time someone dies it is tragic. It’s even more tragic when they fight, kill, and die for a cause they believe in, but which doesn’t exist. They fight and die to serve their government overlords, to fill the coffers of defense contractors, to keep politicians in power, and to satisfy the bloodlust of the tribalistic masses who won’t stop beating the war drum. For the many ways I encouraged these lives to be wasted, for men and women to become empty sacrifices of the State, I’m sorry.

 

I promise I will not dishonor the memory of the many victims of war by being a pawn of the State any longer.