war! what is it good for?

about 8 years ago, we removed hbo from our satellite service package. i'd be dishonest if i didn't admit that part of the reason was a morality statement. most of the offerings at the time were vulgar, lewd, and/or foul (not much has changed.) the other reason was economical...we didn't watch hbo, so we felt that we were just wasting money. for about two years we were hbo-free, and our lives were not amiss of anything.

then, i caught a story in some magazine about hbo's upcoming world war 2 mini series entitled, "band of brothers." the story was essentially true, the screenplay was co-written by stephen ambrose (perhaps my favorite author) and the series was co-produced by tom hanks and steven spielberg. they were fresh off their successful ww2 movie "saving private ryan" (which i enjoyed thoroughly) , so my hopes were high. we ordered hbo just in time -and specifically- to watch the series.

there are a few historical events that never cease to drive my interest, regardless of the amount of material i consume concerning the subject. the civil war, the life and assassination of abraham lincoln, jfk's assassination, the mafia in its heyday, and the tale of the american indian are a few of these subjects. world war two is another.

i've been to new orleans several times, and one of the coolest things i've seen there is the national d-day museum. this museum is also a project headed by ambrose, hanks, and spielberg. i even watched the grand opening ceremonies on c-span since my interest was so keen. i ultimately went to the museum with neil and brian. we spent several hours in the museum and saw everything from a sherman tank to an authentic army issue chocolate bar. i hope to return soon, as the museum is now home to a huge collection documenting the war in the pacific, as well as that in europe.

"band of brothers" is a fantastic series. it is also a wonderful book -written by stephen ambrose. i rewatched it this past sunday night and monday morning. the series follows easy company of the 101st airborne from basic training in georgia to normandy on d-day to holland to bastogne to the battle of the bulge in the ardennes to hitler's eagle nest in berchtesgaden. that's close to everywhere in the european theater, and they were there. it is a story of heroism, cowardice, bravery, failure, victory, and death. ambrose pulls no punches in the telling, and it is capable of being pretty brutal.

perhaps the context of watching this story unfold on memorial day caused me to see it in a different light. my depth of respect and admiration for those who have lived or died in our military is without bounds. i also think every right thinking person is a pacifist. who in their right mind would desire death and destruction over harmony? i think none. i believe those who provoke or incite anger, confrontation, or violence are mad. watching the boys in this reenactment being destroyed mentally and physically was quite unsettling.

it reminded me of a situation involving robert e lee. on a hilltop watching the gruesome battle of fredericksburg, he remarked, "it is well that war is so terrible, we should become too fond of it." i don't understand enough to know what would cause one to become fond of this kind of endeavor; but, i do believe his assessment of the nature of war is apt.

it is interesting to note that the presidential address given on the first memorial day was given at arlington national cemetery by james garfield. the site of this famous cemetery was once the property of robert e lee. his home was overrun by union soldiers during the war, and the vindictive general meigs turned the property surrounding arlington house into a national cemetery with the sole intent of robbing lee of his family home. robert e lee never returned to his estate in arlington.