U.S. Memorial Day, an American holiday, was on Monday, 5/30. Korean War veteran and retired school teacher John Fortier held a special peace vigil from 3 pm to 5 pm and I joined him at 4 pm.
On America's Memorial Day, which was established to remember the U.S.'s war dead, John held the vigil alone until I arrived. But "alone" is inaccurate, for many drivers honked their horns or waved.
What is most memorable to me is the three separate groups of four or five teenagers each, most of them about 15 years old and about half of them were male, half of them female. In each case none of them took an interest in the vigil even though they were standing right in front of it while waiting for the traffic signal to change so they could cross Pacific Coast Highway, in Redondo Beach, CA.
The first group stood there as I walked up and their indifference so bothered me, I smiled and greeted them aloud, drawing them into conversation. During that conversation, I drew their attention to John and his vigil sign.
This process was repeated with the other two teenage groups and after listening to them, it seemed apparent they had little or no interest in the U.S.'s three wars, although there was an awareness those wars are being fought. I detected no connection to Memorial Day, which for them was a beach day.
They were all lovely kids and one of them did ask about John's several Korean War medals he had displayed once he saw the vigil. I'm sorry they had so little interest in war, unlike their counterparts from the mid 1960's to the mid 1970's, which actively opposed the Vietnam War. But re institute the draft and they will care a great deal. The last group were boys and when I asked if any of them intended to go into the military, all of them firmly answered "no."
It was a vigil well worth doing if for no other reason than it got these kids to think about war and the potential for peace, even if only briefly.
Dick
2 comments:
Thank you for your and Mr. Fortier's time on what to almost everyone is a day off from work. As your father was a big part of my life, I took some time to remember him as he passed away on Memorial Day and was extremely proud of his military service during WWII.
The US Government has made the wars very simple to ignore and thusly the lobbyists are successfully getting their Military Industrial Clients plenty of taxpayer money. This willful ignorance by us as citizens will hasten the downfall of our empire and sadly many people are quietly suffering through death, destruction and awful injuries.
Regarding your description of the kids indifference, I'm sorry that their parents didn't teach the importance of this holiday as many people have sacrificed themselves in defense of our nation. That sacrifice demands respect even if the decisions of the commander in chief and congress are deplorable.
Thank you again for your respectful vigil on this very special day.
Not only are their parents to blame, but also the schools, newpapers, and radio and TV stations. History is history, whether it be terrible or wonderful. Absent this knowledge, it is possible that these kids will be called into service to fight wars in the future.
I am sure these kids are all tech-smart, but world dumb. Too many wazoo gadgets to play with, and too many parents too busy to talk to their kids.
Jon & you, Dick, provide a return to reality, politics aside.
Bye for now, Ben
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