The Noble Soldier

       
       I love memorial day.

       I love the idea that a day should be set aside for remembering those who died for my country.

       What makes me mad is people trying to deflower our fighting men by questioning the motives for the war itself.

      Yes, there is such a thing as a righteous or unrighteous war. But it is often very difficult to know all the reasons for why a war is fought, and truly understand what kind it is.

     I believe we can accurately conclude that the Germans were waging a very unrighteous war in World War II, and we shan't even begin with the mess that started the Great War.

     Then there are moments like the Civil war, where we as a Americans all want to shake our heads and sigh over the density of mankind.

     We can turn to the American Revolutionary war, perhaps one of the noblest wars fought in recorded History, and even that was born out of the greed of people on both sides who simply couldn't settle their differences without causing a tremendous brawl.

      In the end, war is a result of sinful people. A product of the fall. It has an inevitability that goes beyond what anti-war groups call politics and big governments. Some may call me cynical, but as long as this earth revolves on its axis, I prophesy that there will always be wars and rumors of wars.

      So it can only be until Christ returns and wages the final battle against sin. Roll your eyes if you must, my dear non-Christian readers, but we all know it's coming whether we admit it or not.

      We should all be anti-war, but not in the way activists would have us. I am so ashamed of the way we defamed our heroes returning from the Vietnam war.
Perhaps it was an unrighteous war, perhaps we shouldn't have been involved, but America was trying to help, and the soldiers were following orders, risking their lives because they cared for their fatherland and their loved ones; because they valued honor, justice, and freedom and wanted to extend that to others, regardless of how clumsily it was executed.

 G.K. Chesterton put it well when he said, "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."

 There have been plenty of soldiers with perverse motives and plenty of scurrilous men in the army, as in any path of life, but war has a way of refining people, of bringing out the best in men as well as the worst. I'm not preaching any kind of "let us do evil that good may come," philosophy, but I am saying let's direct our anger towards the right thing, not against the brave men who did their duty and sacrificed for their country.

     I could stand on this soap box for hours but I think I've made my point.

    To honor the men who died courageously in the service, I wrote a song which I wanted to record and post here today, until I realized just yesterday, that it wouldn't sound right with me singing it. To do the song justice, it really has to be sung by a man; a tenor to be exact. I wrote the song for a male voice and only realized that yesterday...anyone know a  Tenor who would be willing to collaborate? ... Well, if you hear of one, let me know, but in the meantime, I will share the song in poetry form.
   I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Also, perhaps while you read it, listen to the soundtrack which I'm including below. It's one we're playing in orchestra right now. I have fallen quite in love with it.

    I titled this(very un-originally):          The Fallen Soldier




    


         Happy Memorial day my friends. Never forget the people who died for you. Such things ought never to be laughed at.


  ~ Christianna