Anniversaries
Anniversaries are described as the dates on which an event took place in a previous year. The U.S. has many anniversaries to lay claim to but we persist mostly in remembering the dates of wars - their beginnings or endings. The current Iraqi/terrorist War we could arguably call 11 September, 2001, the beginning due to the events that took place that day.A list of other wars the U.S. has been involved in throughout our history follows:
April 11, 1783 - Congress officially declares an end to the Revolutionary War. An estimated 25,000 American Revolutionaries died during active military service.
April 18, 1865, the U.S. Civil War ended with the surrender of the Confederate army. 617,000 Americans had died in the war, approximately the same number as in all of America's other wars combined. Thousands had been injured.
Sept. 14, 1847, the Mexican-American War ended when U.S. Gen. Winfield Scott occupied Mexico City. Battle deaths: 385. Other deaths in service (non-theater): 2,061
Nov. 11, 1918, (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month), that World War I ended. Battle deaths: 53,402. Other deaths in service (non-theater): 63,114.
May 8, 1945: Germany officially surrenders.
August 14, 1945: Japan surrenders. Combined WWII battle deaths - 291,557. Other deaths in service (non- theater): 113,842.
July 27, 1953: Korean War: ended with an an armistice agreement. Casualties in the war were over 54,000 dead.
April 30, 1975, U.S. military presence in Viet Nam concludes. 58,226 American soldiers died in the war or are missing in action.
28 February, 1991: Persian Gulf War ended. 147 deaths.
19 March, 2003: officially begins the Iraq War. 2667 deaths (and counting...)
We are called upon by the media, both objectively and subjectively, to remember 9-11 and the 3000+ loses that occurred that morning on the east coast. I don’t think this fifth anniversary is any more or less important than the first, second, third or fourth anniversary other than there is an election approaching for members of Congress. Are we being inundated with the occurrences of 9-11 to remind us of how ‘safe’ we are with the current administration? It is a very likely scenario.
We should be cautious as to how we remember the innocent civilians that lost their lives that day. The relatives, families and friends of those people will always remember their loved ones. A fifth anniversary is not necessary. A fifth anniversary is not a milestone of any sort. It is not necessary to relive the horrors of that day. We were amply and repeatedly provided scenes of the Twin Towers even on the first day. Add to that the innumerable times we have been shown and been reminded of that day, and somehow celebrating the ‘fifth anniversary’ does little more than keep the anger and revenge of the event in the minds of the public.
As much as George Bush and Company have touted their ability to suppress another attack by terrorists on our shores, can we forget the event of 9-11 happened on this administration’s watch? I certainly think that there are many Americans that have forgotten that the attack happened during this administrations term.
There will always be questions regarding 9-11. All the answers have not been satisfactorily explained. But this is not anything new when it comes to wars. All throughout the history of America the way history reads is how the writers, more than the participants, have ended up documenting the historical records of events. A cursory look at the list of wars above, I would safely say, the majority of the wars, if not all of them, might have some distortion to the underlying reasons they ended up becoming wars of the magnitude that they have become for history’s sake.
We, the public, when reading or hearing of wars, should not forget that all major wars are begun by or against those people that run/control their respective countries. It is the citizenry of the countries that do the actual fighting, killing and destroying the enemy, no matter how perceived. Those that strongly favor war in even a small way, have a vested interest in waging the war. Even as basic soldiers, there is a promise of work = money to pacify the questions of danger when embarking upon the battlefields. That is principally why there are warriors... they too, must pay their bills... ‘buy the beans.’
This fifth anniversary of 9-11 should not overshadow the fact that our current President went into Iraq under false pretenses, i.e., he lied to the American public about the dangers of Saddam Hussein and the threat this man posed on the American public. We should also remember that this war in Iraq will continue to be pursued by our administration for at least another two years. This war will cost the people of our country a minimum of 100 billion dollars before this President is relieved from his office. It doesn’t require a great deal of thinking how this much money could be better used to improve this country that we live in and support on many levels - from security to health, education to energy, from jobs to more savings for our futures... the list is large and necessary. Whether these things are more necessary than the war in Iraq only the public can decide, and decide through the vote.
Will this anniversary of 9-11 prove to enforce our fears of another attack on our people, or will this anniversary and all the hoopla awaken us from the constant threat of fear that our current administration continues to deliver to us on an almost daily feed of media attention?
This fifth anniversary of 9-11 is of much less importance than the original American Revolution, mush less important than July 4, 1776 and the Declaration of our independence from England. This anniversary is much less important that remembering the millions of deaths our people have given prior to the events of 9-11. True, none of these events listed occurred on 11 September, but I write of the importance of many other events of America. Or should we use 9-11 as the beginning of the threat to our country’s very future by terrorists of all types?
[enough]
Cecil
10 September 2006
