World War I was unlike anything the world had ever experienced. The Industrial Revolution had transformed warfare forever, turning it into what podcaster Dan Carlin called a “meat grinder.” More than ten million soldiers gave their lives in a struggle between kings and emperors for control of Europe, while another ten million civilians died in the crossfire. Great Britain lost more men in the Battle of the Somme than it had in the entire century since Waterloo.
The last time the West faced such a cataclysmic contest for power was in the mid-17th century. The carnage of the Thirty Years’ War so shocked Europe’s leaders that the resulting peace treaty radically redefined the very nature of nation-states and remains the foundation for geopolitics to this day.
It was fitting, therefore, that World War I be remembered—and the soldiers who fought in it honored—in a new and lasting way. Great Britain and its Commonwealth set aside November 11, the day the armistice ended the war, as a solemn holiday to remember all who served. In the United States, President Woodrow Wilson marked Armistice Day on its first anniversary. After World War II, many communities began honoring veterans of all wars on that date, and in 1954 Congress established Veterans Day as a national holiday.
Our country’s record in war has been mixed since then, yet the dedication of those who wear the uniform of our armed forces is unquestionable. Young men and women have joined the military for many reasons—family tradition, free college, a desire to see the world—but the why matters far less than the fact that they did. Many young men were drafted and sent to Vietnam in the 1960s and ’70s, while others enlisted after 9/11, only to return home disillusioned about what they were fighting for. Yet they all served.
I recently wrote about the warrior spirit that rises in every time and generation. I can’t add much more, so I invite you to read that essay again. Happy Veterans Day to all who served.
War never changes, no matter the technology or geopolitical situation. While combat can bring out heroic qualities in men, it is still, as General Sherman noted, a cruel hell on earth that we should avoid whenever possible. “War is policy by other means,” wrote Carl von Clausewitz, which means we should exhaust every political and diplomatic option before sending our young men and women into battle. We honor the troops not only by caring for them when they return home, but by ensuring that their cause—as Shakespeare’s King Henry understood—is just.
As someone who never served, I hold in the highest esteem those who did. No matter our politics, I thank you for your service, and I hope that we as a society have upheld our part of the bargain that began when you put on the uniform.
Feature image “Belleau Wood” by Franc-Earle Schoonover | National Museum of the Marine Corps
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About Brian Almon
Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.
