The United States was born in war. We've been fighting them ever since. A few times it was because we had to, although that number pales in comparison to those we chose to start, or joined in progress out of a sense of nationalism, brute expansionism, or simple habit. In every case, however, thanks to politicians and the media most Americans, at the moment a conflict began, have always been convinced going to war was necessary to protect, The American Way of Life.
Wikipedia lists 81 different times American troops charged off to combat in the 243 year history of the country. That is once every three years since the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Who knew we had to be protected so often?
Sadly, or perhaps thankfully, many of those 81 conflicts were so brief they're now lost in history. In fact most 21st century American citizens don't even know they happened. Take for example, The Sheepeater Indian War of 1879. That one doesn't exactly come to mind when there is a discussion of America's wars. U.S. casualties were one killed in combat and 10 wounded. It was so brief there weren't even any deaths by disease, or accidents, by far the biggest cause of military fatalities in the 19th century.
Others weren't nearly as quick, or relatively painless. At the beginning of the Civil War the nation's population, north and south, was approximately 31,443,000, not counting Native Americans. During the next four years, on average, 520 U.S. and Confederate troops would die each day, seven days a week. In WWII the number was 279 soldiers, sailors, and marines per day. In the 14 years we slogged around South Vietnam it was 11 deaths per day.
The nation has had 45 Commander in Chiefs of it's armed forces. 26 of them served in the military, one way, or the other before they showed up for their inauguration. A few served with distinction in battle, like G.H.W. Bush, Jack Kennedy, James Garfield, and Rutherford B. Hayes. Bush the elder was awarded The Distinguished Flying Cross. Kennedy received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart. Garfield commanded infantry brigades during the battles of Shiloh and Corinth. Hayes was wounded at the battle of South Mountain and survived the slaughter at Antietam.
Others served stateside. Ron Reagan for instance spent WWII making training films, while Jimmy Carter was a Midshipman at the USNA who didn't put out to sea until 1946. During the Korean war he rode a desk. Bush the younger was in the Texas Air Guard during Vietnam and never made it further west than Houston.
Two presidents who didn't serve had dubious reasons for not doing so. Donald Trump was diagnosed with heel spurs and declared ineligible for service during the Vietnam era. The doctor who made the diagnosis ran his practice out of a building owned by Fred Trump, Don's father. Grover Cleveland bought his way out of the draft during the Civil War by paying some poor schmuck to take his place--a practice which was legal back then. It is unknown whether the guy survived, or not.
Other than the horror of the 9-11 terrorist attacks and Pearl Harbor, the United States has not fought a battle on its own soil since 1898. That was the year a unit of U.S. infantry went onto the reservation of the Pillager Band of Chippewa Indians in Minnesota. Their objective was to arrest its leader. In the ensuing, "battle," seven US troops were killed and 16 were wounded. In a reversal of what normally happened during those days none of the Chippewas were killed. The troops withdrew and eventually--not to mention incredibly--the whole thing blew over.
Four months later Americans would be fighting Filipinos in Manila because they didn't want their country run by a foreign nation, namely the United States. By the time it was done America had lost a little over 4,100 soldiers.
In total, this Memorial Day we have 1.4 million plus reasons to honor our war dead. That doesn't count an untold number of Native Americans who fought to save the continent from invading armies commanded by people like George Armstrong Custer.
Yes, on this solemn weekend, what better way can we memorialize their sacrifice than swig beer, go to a race in Indianapolis, or buy shit made in Bangladesh on sale at Wal-Mart? After all--as said before--every man jack one of them died protecting The American Way of Life as we now know it.
Right.
5-25-19
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