The words heroism and cowardice are antonyms, opposites, yet can be applied to the very same person, depending on your perspective and point of view. When Muhammad Ali registered as a conscientious objector because of his opposition to the Viet Nam War, some viewed his actions as heroic because he stood up for his beliefs without regard to the consequences. Others called him a coward for not fighting for his country, although they probably did not say that to his face. "I ain't got no quarrel with no Viet Cong," he said at the time.
Every war has those who oppose it for conscientous reasons and are willing to face the consequences of their stance. It's difficult to call them cowards if they're willing to accept death or imprisonment for not renouncing their beliefs. In essence, they may be doing almost the same thing as the soldier on the battlefield, just choosing a different battlefield.
History may or may not reveal who was correct, who was partially correct or who did what for what reasons.
The young men and women who do not make it home safely from whatever war effort is currently pursued deserve the same recognition as heroes, persons of courage and honor. They did not choose the venue but fulfilled their obligation for the right reasons. Governments frequently use misinformation, disinformation or no information to steer and motivate. Dr. Henry Kissinger lied about Viet Nam. Some misinformation went out about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. None of that taints the courage of those who served or those who chose not to serve as long as they upheld their individual consciences.
In my view, the young men and women who put their lives on the line for whatever assignment given them by their country are heroes as are those who conscientiously objected. The cowards are those leaders whose fear of the truth and disrespect of our judgment motivated them to lie to us.
Every war has those who oppose it for conscientous reasons and are willing to face the consequences of their stance. It's difficult to call them cowards if they're willing to accept death or imprisonment for not renouncing their beliefs. In essence, they may be doing almost the same thing as the soldier on the battlefield, just choosing a different battlefield.
History may or may not reveal who was correct, who was partially correct or who did what for what reasons.
The young men and women who do not make it home safely from whatever war effort is currently pursued deserve the same recognition as heroes, persons of courage and honor. They did not choose the venue but fulfilled their obligation for the right reasons. Governments frequently use misinformation, disinformation or no information to steer and motivate. Dr. Henry Kissinger lied about Viet Nam. Some misinformation went out about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. None of that taints the courage of those who served or those who chose not to serve as long as they upheld their individual consciences.
In my view, the young men and women who put their lives on the line for whatever assignment given them by their country are heroes as are those who conscientiously objected. The cowards are those leaders whose fear of the truth and disrespect of our judgment motivated them to lie to us.
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ReplyDeleteA very big thank you to the men and women who have served and who are presently serving in the United States Armed Forces.
ReplyDeleteconsidering that Nixon and Kissinger inherited that war from LBJ and the Democrats, and that the nation was lied to by LBJ and others in his cabinet, what did Kissinger do that was anny different. If you are going to blame someone, start with LBJ and McMarra they owe most of the blame for that war
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately for those of us who served in Vietnam, the nation considered us to be "baby killers", and blamed the war on us....for serving. Those who avoided the war...including conscientious objectors...were seen as the heroes to the American public. The men and women who served in Vietnam were shunned by the public and many of them bear mental scars made by the U.S. public. While the attitude toward the young military members of today is different, the Vietnam era veterans have unhealed scars for life.
ReplyDeleteThe blame is always to our leaders, very seldom has there been a justified war, but justified or not, our soldiers are always there, ready to go anywhere they send them, whether they believe in the cause or not they give their lives, their limbs and sometimes their soul, but they are there for their country, and this is what we must never forget, this is what we should be eternally grateful for
ReplyDeleteOh please your science lied to you about God so don't dictate people lying to others. You and them are the biggest liars on the face of the planet.
ReplyDelete