There is nothing glorious about war, yet nations make it honorable. The United States sends its men and women off to war in this present era to fight the War on Terrorism. Or so we have been told. The truth is a lugubrious one.Our military is now nothing more than a tool of corporate interests, banking institutions, and power hungry conquerors seeking domination of the globe. Soldiers are forced to fight not for freedom, but the expansion of empire. Iraq and Afghanistan were presented to the American public as "threats" to America and soon after were attacked. More lives are now lost and lessons have not been learned from the past.
Veterans Day is a Federal holiday that is designed to honor veterans who served in the United States Army. Its origins can be traced back to the end of World War I. It marks the ending of the bloodiest conflicts in human history. The Russian, German, and Ottoman Empires collapsed creating geopolitical disorder. About 37 million were killed and economic instability became a problem in certain countries( Germany experienced hyperinflation). The cause of this conflict was imperial expansion and aggressive nationalism. These two ideas were not curtailed, but enhanced with the rise of Fascism. European leaders attempted to appease Fascist dictatorships in order to prevent another war. This was contradictory, because Britain and France were in a sense, at war with the people they had colonized. After World War II the world did not become a peaceful place, only a more militarized one. Now we can see veterans from multiple generations. The suffering and misery is never ending. More men and women are being sent to die for no reason.
The United States claims it loves its servicemen, but teats them horribly. The Department of Veterans Affairs has allowed the quality of medical care to decline. Eric Shinseki former secretary of Veterans Affairs also did not monitor the conditions of VA hospitals. Many times veterans were faced with long waiting times for medical appointments. The health care system was not adequately addressing particular issues in regards to efficiency. Thousands of veterans were put at risk not by a war zone, but their own nation. Jobs for veterans is another problem the government does little about. Although President Obama wants to do more, Republicans continue to block his veterans jobs corps proposal. Rejecting the proposal condemns many veterans to unemployment and failure to adjust to civilian life.
The only way to end this cycle is to reject aggressive nationalism and imperial expansion. Peace should be actively promoted as a major foreign policy goal. The reduction of military intervention will improve US diplomatic relations and enhance our country's image globally. More importantly, people will not have to be murdered. Veterans may survive the carnage, but the mental scars never go away.
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