Twenty-Four Notes

by

Gadfly

            Taps consists of merely 24 notes, still touching millions of lives as we honor those who gave their lives for a greater cause.  This is an American tradition that blossomed from earlier European practices called tattoos.  Among other occasions, taps are played at dusk at American military installations and at the funerals for those killed in combat and for veterans.

            What is that greater cause for which our veterans have served?

After seven years of brutal combat during the Revolutionary War and learning of an anonymous letter circulating among his officers to mutiny or to leave their posts, George Washington urged his soldiers to stay the course.  On March 16, 1783, Washington assembled his officers to address the issue.  While rebuking the anonymous letter, he did not demean the officers.  He inspired them to stay the course.  Eric Metaxas observes in his book, If You Can Keep It:  The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty, “Washington’s language is a far cry from anything we hear today.  I am not referring to his lofty and ennobling style of speech…But far more important is his use of specific words and phrases like ‘reputation,’ ‘patient virtue,’ ‘dignity,’ ‘glory,’ and ‘sacred honor.’”  The cause for their devotion and sacrifice was inspired by our Declaration of Independence.  That cause was enshrined in these words, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”  Our Founders did not equivocate as to the source of these rights, explicitly acknowledging the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.”  Our Founders placed great faith in a future that would unfold, based on a government designed to protect these inalienable rights.

Facing imminent battle against a larger formation at Gettysburg, Joshua Chamberlain, formerly a rhetoric professor at Bowdoin College in Maine and a colonel in the Union Army, calmly justified to his men what they were about to do.  He told his men that they were up against a formidable force and that they would suffer great casualties, possibly defeat; but, they were engaged in an important effort “to set other men free.”  It was their moral duty to do the right thing.  After running out of ammunition, Chamberlain directed his men to attach bayonets, and then charged the opposing force.  The visible display of courage and determination compelled the opposing force into retreat.

The battle of Gettysburg witnessed brave actions and sacrifices by both sides of the conflict regarding the morality of the institution of slavery.  The vast majority of those who fought for the South were not slaveholders.  Many were conscripted to fight for the South.  In hindsight, we can better understand the complexities and distinctions between loyalty to certain principles and the notion of patriotism to one’s culture.  This is why multiculturalism in today’s America is so dangerous, especially if it is encouraged for whatever reason.

John Stuart Mill captured this complexity in his famous 1862 essay, “The Contest in America”:

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. When a people are used as mere human instruments for firing cannon or thrusting bayonets, in the service and for the selfish purposes of a master, such war degrades a people. A war to protect other human beings against tyrannical injustice; a war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, and which is their own war, carried on for an honest purpose by their free choice—is often the means of their regeneration. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature, who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. As long as justice and injustice have not terminated their ever-renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other.   

Abraham Lincoln recognized and clearly understood the significance of the American sacrifice at Gettysburg.  Lincoln captured the essence of our Civil War with his famous address on November 19, 1863:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate -- we cannot consecrate -- we cannot hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Lincoln understood the importance and power of a Constitutional Republic and its potential for a way of life that would allow free citizens in a free and just society to pursue their own futures.  Ironically, Speaker Pelosi believes the cause for which fellow Americans gave their last measure of devotion is for a better future that is envisioned by political elite.  On May 23, she asked that as we approach Memorial Day, we need “to build a future worthy of their sacrifice.”  Lincoln believed our government was designed to protect our inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—and a future that each of us individually envisions for ourselves and our families.

As a 34-year veteran, I served to protect the Constitution of the United States and the idea of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for each and every American, as well as for the people of other nations living under the oppression of tyrannical governments.  America is not perfect and never will be despite the delusional notions of progressives and socialists.  However, the idea of America is an ideal worth comprehending and for which to strive and fight.

When taps is played at my funeral, I hope to have been worthy of the lyrics developed for these 24-notes:

Day is done, gone the sun,
 From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;
 All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Meanwhile, I sincerely thank and respectfully salute all those we celebrate on this Memorial Day.  I also thank their family members and loved ones who were loyal to their devotion to America and for which it stands; they gave and sacrificed as well.

America on Its Knees?

Old Gadfly:  Gentlemen, happy Memorial Day weekend.  Any reflections?

AM:  When I think of my father’s experiences as a decorated and wounded fighter pilot in the Pacific Theater during World War II, my own experiences in combat and the friends who paid the ultimate price, and all of our fallen brothers and sisters who gave their lives for America, I can’t help but believe America is now on its knees.

Old Gadfly:  Why do you say this?

AM:  I do not recall a period in my lifetime when the world was in such a fragile state, to include my own country, America.  Of course, I was born after WWII, so I only know about this era from my father and mother, and their peers and history books (which have evolved in the modern educational system to water down the major moral issues involved).  The international system was threatened by Japanese imperialism and German fascism.  Millions of lives were sacrificed in this conflict.  Then, I personally experienced the threat of communism during the Korean War, the Cold War, and in direct combat operations during the Vietnam War.

Old Gadfly:  I had a recent conversation with a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy in which I asked for his thoughts about communism.  His response was that he did not know what communism is.  I told him that while it had been 13 years since I retired from the Air Force, my 30 years in uniform were mostly in support of our defense of America against the threat of communism.  This reinforces your observation about how the educational system has watered down essential truths about history.

IM:  Let me contribute one of my observations.  This past week, the American President visited Hiroshima in Japan.  Ironically, this visit was days before America celebrated Memorial Day.  In listening to the President’s speech, I recognized a clear collision between sophomoric anti-American idealism and the blunt and unforgiving impact of reality.  And, the reality of Obama’s rhetoric was to force America to its knees—a country that gave him the privilege (not due to the politically correct notion of white privilege, but the privilege of being an American) of ascending to the position of President.   This is one reason he apparently felt compelled to say one American presidential candidate is making other world leaders nervous.  He fails to acknowledge that other nations are not used to a world without American leadership.  So, Obama attempted to assuage international concerns by suggesting America get back on its knees in apology for past Presidential decisions.

Old Gadfly:  He did not apologize for dropping the atomic bomb.

IM:  He did not explicitly apologize.  His rhetoric was more damning: 

Seventy-one years ago, on a bright cloudless morning, death fell from the sky and the world was changed. A flash of light and a wall of fire destroyed a city and demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself. . . .

The world war that reached its brutal end in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was fought among the wealthiest and most powerful of nations. Their civilizations had given the world great cities and magnificent art. Their thinkers had advanced ideas of justice and harmony and truth. And yet the war grew out of the same base instinct for domination or conquest that had caused conflicts among the simplest tribes, an old pattern amplified by new capabilities and without new constraints.

Old Gadfly:  America had no conquest intentions.  And, I noticed the President felt no obligation to instantiate the atomic bombing act within the broader historical context.

AM:  Yes, Obama's idealism ignored Japanese atrocities in China, the Philippines, Korea, and so forth.

Old Gadfly:  While serving in a leadership position in Japan from 1997 to 1999, I had a visit from a small delegation from the Japanese Defense Forces Military History Directorate.  The senior officer was a major general, accompanied by two colonels.  After a tour of some of the World War II historical sites at Yokota Air Base, we sat for coffee and a visit.  A few minutes into our seemingly trivial conversation through my interpreter, I decided to share an observation.  It stemmed from a documentary on WWII seen through the lenses of four national perspectives:  America, British, French, and the Soviet Union.  The specific scene I shared was when the Soviet Union’s Stalin dictated a communique through a Japanese scholar to the Emperor of Japan, inviting him to join forces with Russia.  When the response arrived, Stalin was anxious to hear what the Emperor had to say.  The scholar, somewhat perplexed, said the response was provided in an ancient form of Kanji (Chinese characters used in the Japanese language).  “Well,” Stalin asked, “can you translate it?”  “Yes,” the scholar said, “but it is a non-answer.”  “What does that mean?” Stalin thundered.  The scholar explained that the emperor had no authority to make any agreements because the military was in political command.  When I noticed that there was no discernible reaction from the general, I asked my interpreter if she had relayed my thoughts verbatim.  She admitted that she had modified the message somewhat.  I asked her to please repeat what I said verbatim.  This time the general visibly reacted, and said, “It is refreshing to discuss history frankly and truthfully—we cannot learn from our mistakes if we do not embrace them.”

IM:  So, Obama’s idealism failed to understand the importance of historical lessons learned and how civilizations truly advance.

Old Gadfly:  That’s correct.  Fortunately, America still includes among its citizens those who have a firmer grasp on reality.  Here is an excellent article by my good friend, Dr. John Powers, on the Japanese atomic bomb decision.

AM:  Dr. Powers’ logic and analysis are solid.

Old Gadfly: Yes, and amazingly, supposed smart people still want to rewrite history.  A couple weeks after I hosted the Japanese major general, I hosted a visit by a group of officers and senior government civilians (similar to America’s National War College).  At my table were 10 Japanese colonels and Japan’s Chief Scientist.  Interrupting a pleasant conversation about current affairs between America and Japan, the Chief Scientist, a woman, asked me for my opinion about the morality of the Potsdam Declaration.  I responded that it was a very serious dilemma—a choice between two evils.  It took tremendous moral courage to make the right decision.  A different decision most likely would not have enabled the Japanese culture to allow a woman to be Japan’s Chief Scientist.  The men at the table clearly understood the message.  The Chief Scientist seemed unwilling to change her notion of the history she wanted to believe.

IM:   Yet, for the President of the United States, a country that has gone to great lengths to defeat tyranny and to promote liberty in America and beyond, to subtly criticize monumental moral decisions by former Presidents who demonstrated true character and leadership, clearly illustrates that this President diminishes what America is about while extolling his own narcissistic appetite for personal greatness.

Old Gadfly:  When I was younger and deployed to Turkey, I had an interesting experience.  While walking down a dirt road near Incirlik Air Base in civilian clothes, a little boy looked at me and saluted.  I returned his salute.  I asked a nearby older man, who was observing, if he spoke English.  And he said, “Yes.”  I asked him why the little boy saluted me.  He said, “Because you are American.”  I asked, “How does he know I’m American?”  He responded, “You have the walk of freedom.”

AM:  We are losing that image.  Just this week, I read that the Air Force is considering annual bonuses of nearly $60,000 to keep pilots from transitioning to the airlines.  What happened to a sense of duty?

IM:  Well, doesn’t a sense of duty require a belief in serving a greater good?

AM:  Yes.

IM:  In the Obama era, a time that represented fundamentally transforming America, what is America?

AM:  When I served, it was to protect our unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Gadfly, remember the Metaphysics of Pure Reason in our philosophy course with Mal Wakin?  Most of us USAF Academy products agreed with Kant that happiness was a consequence of an unconditional obligation to do our moral duty.  Where is that same sense of duty today?

Old Gadfly:  Obama and his progressive cohort have deliberately put America on its knees in deference to a Marxist utopia.  They do not believe in natural law; they believe all rights are granted by a government.  This is why America needs to be on its knees, asking for the same strength and wisdom our founding fathers prayed for when they created the most prosperous and decent nation in human history.  George Washington’s Farewell Address and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address represent two Presidents of true moral character, who understood what America is as an idea and the cost to preserve it.  Memorial Day should be a time to perpetuate this understanding.  How many Americans will interrupt the barbecues to acknowledge the Americans who gave “their last full measure of devotion,” a moral duty to protect and preserve an American idea once well understood by Americans and the rest of the world?  Can this be one of the reasons Trump’s “Let’s Make America Great Again” slogan resonates with so many Americans?  We are a nation once recognized for its “walk of freedom,” not as a nation on its knees.