Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Honoring All the Fallen

Honoring All the Fallen

Last updated on: May 28, 2016 at 7:42 am by John Beckett

Honoring All the Fallen 2016-05-28T07:42:19-06:00 John Beckett

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Boston Common – Memorial Day, 2013

Memorial Day is intended to honor those who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces. It began as Decoration Day, a time to place flowers on the graves of those who died in the Civil War, and a practice that took place in both the North and the South. While Veterans Day (November 11) is intended to honor all who served, Memorial Day is specifically for those who died in service.

In our mainstream culture Memorial Day has become the unofficial First Day of Summer. Still, stopping to honor our war dead is a good and right thing to do. Say what you will about the misuse of military power by our political leaders (and I have much to say about it, but that’s another rant for another time), there are times when military force is necessary to stop or deter foreign aggression. Individual soldiers sign up (or in the past, responded to the draft) with honorable intentions. They sacrificed time, comfort, blood, and life – the least we can do is remember them.

In no way do I wish to diminish the honor due our warrior dead. But they are not the only people who were harmed by conflict, and they are not the only cost of war.

With the exception of two notorious days of infamy (December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001) the American homeland has not experienced war first-hand in the memory of anyone alive today. Even in this age of terrorism, it’s easy to forget that war isn’t just soldiers facing off on some remote battlefield or in some abandoned city. That battlefield was someone’s farm. That city was someone’s home. Maybe those people are now refugees… or maybe they were killed in a crossfire, a bombing raid, or a drone attack.

They never wore a uniform or carried a weapon, but they are still the fallen of war.

We are finally beginning to learn that for many service members, the war does not end when they come home. Some of our returning veterans were treated disgracefully. Some were treated quite well. Many experienced a mixture of both, with plenty of “thanks for your service” but difficulty getting treatment for physical and psychological injuries. PTSD is still poorly understood, and the suicide rate among both active duty and former military members far exceeds the civilian population.

These, too, are the fallen of war.

When I visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin last month, I had the opportunity to see their Tree of Remembrance. It is nominally a memorial marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War, but its stated purpose is the “Remembrance of those lost to conflict.” Paper “leaves” are provided for visitors to write messages to or in honor of relatives and friends who were harmed by war, which can then be hung on the tree.

I hung a leaf for my brother Ron, who died in 2013 at the age of 64. Ron served in the US Navy when he got out of high school, including a tour of duty in Viet Nam. He came home without a scratch – on the outside. He told a few stories about working as an MP and writing traffic tickets, but mostly he didn’t talk about his time in the Navy. And he never talked about the mortar attacks, fire fights, and other aspects of actual combat. But those memories, combined with other things he brought back from Viet Nam, contributed to his early death and to the great suffering he endured during the last 10 years of his life.

Ron died after having been home for forty years, but he is among the fallen of war.

So this Memorial Day, let us remember our warrior dead. Let us remember those who answered the call to do what had to be done and who sacrificed all they had. It is right and good to celebrate their courage and valor. But let us also remember the fallen of war who never should have been in harm’s way in the first place, and those whose wounds killed them slowly instead of suddenly.

They too are the fallen. They too are the costs of war.

the Tree of Remembrance – St. Patrick’s Cathedral – Dublin, Ireland

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Tree of Remembrance

Previous Post

May 24, 2016

Pagans and the Past – It’s Complicated

Next Post

June 1, 2016 Dispassionately Dissecting Religion

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Community CUUPS Druidry Foundations and Context Gods and Goddesses Magic Myth Nature Ritual Spiritual Practice Theology Travel Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did God create on the second day?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Trees Sun Fish Sky