I want to briefly interrupt the hocus-pocus story on Memorial Day weekend to honor the fallen. Memorial Day is a solemn day, occurring between Victory in Europe Day and D-Day.
Today also happens to be the 71st anniversary of Robert Capa’s death. He was killed when he stepped on a landmine in Indochina, May 25, 1954, covering that war. He was 40 years old.
As I mentioned in the Introduction, Capa’s girlfriend, Gerda Taro, was killed while covering the Spanish Civil War. She was the first female photojournalist killed while covering combat.
Gerda Tarot
Memorial Day is the day when we honor the service members who died defending our Constitution. That’s what the oath says – defense of, and allegiance to, the Constitution. These were generally young men and women who gave all for the protection and preservation of an idea. That is what is most important. It’s not the fried chicken or “cold beer on a Friday night,” as one singer-songwriter declared. These people did not willingly leave their families and run toward danger just so that we could have a pair of “jeans that fit just right.”
The only way that we could know the sacrifices these men and women made is through the stories, written and photographed, brought back by intrepid journalists. These men and women are so dedicated to the notion that a free people need to know how their treasure, and their sons’ and daughters’ blood, is spilt, that they, too rush toward danger, willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary – for an idea.
So many journalists and photojournalists have been killed while reporting on wars and conflicts. In Iraq, we held the body of an American female journalist who was killed while covering the invasion in 2003.
To me, Memorial Day is a day to remember our fallen service members, for sure. But war brings with it so much collateral “damage,” meaning other people killed and maimed, who also should be remembered and honored. Lives disrupted forever. Civilians, innocent civilians, bear the brunt.
I hate war. War is senseless and stupid. Wars are often started by megalomaniacs, and have to be defended by the reluctant righteous. I think if two countries are on the brink of war, then the two leaders should be put in a room to pummel each other until one emerges alive. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it would save so many innocent lives.