The American Spectator

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At His Reflective Best

5.31.06 @ 12:01AM

REMEMBERED PROPERLY
Re: Ben Stein's Memorial Day Diary and They Did God's Work:

As always Ben Stein is at his reflective best when he writes about the selfless contributions of our soldiers and veterans. As I have gotten older I find that Memorial Day has become the holiday that has the most personal meaning to me. It is a day to reflect and realize how petty and insignificant the current political squabbles are today. On this day I think about my paternal grandfather. An infantryman who landed at Normandy on D-Day, fought through France only to be cut down by artillery fire on the western side of the Rhine in November of 1944. In 2002 I had the privilege to meet with my grandfather's best friend who was with him at the time of his death. Until this point I only knew my grandfather from his military photograph and my dad's childhood memories of his father. For the next three hours I was in rapt attention. I was told stories not of derring-do, but of a quiet man with two young children who decides to join up late in the war out a sense that "something had to be done." Of a workingman, a carpenter, whose sense of common decency and duty was such that he cared for his family and by extension his country so much that he would put his life at risk for a common moral cause.

When I was a child I was always mad because I never got to meet the handsome man in the cool uniform. I used to play with my plastic army soldiers and imagine my granddad storming the beach, knocking out machine gun nests, and single handedly taking out the German High Command. My dad would show me his father's medals and the flag that they received at his funeral. As a young man I became upset with the fact that a man in his late twenties with children had no business running off to war. That while admirable, he left his wife a widow and his children without a father. As time went on my selfish thoughts gave way to the fact that near the end of the war we were running out of prime candidates for military service. I am sure that he realized that it was necessary to heed the call and sign up for service and in this case the ultimate sacrifice to his country. Everyday and especially on Memorial Day, I wonder if I would have had the fortitude to face that challenge. I will never be able to answer that question. One question I can answer is that because of my grandfather's love for his family, friends, and his country I was never faced with that challenge. To all the veterans and all those on active duty, we can never do enough to honor your brave service.
-- Ron Pettengill
London, United Kingdom

"They Did God's Work" is the most astoundingly magnificent tribute for Memorial Day I have ever read. It is thought provoking. It is humbling. It is real sympathy for those who have lost a loved one, and ultimate honor for those who have died in defense of our beloved nation. And a much needed slap in the face for those who seek to destroy our nation, mislead our countrymen with falsehoods, separate us from our God and disgrace our Military.

Today is Sunday. It is truly a good day. Because once again, I have been reminded that America is not lost. The leftist media has not won. And our Military is still doing God's work.

God bless you Ben. Thank you for reminding us what Memorial Day is about. Thank you for reinforcing our patriotism. Thank you for sending our military forth "in the name of God." Thank you for being faithful to our nation. After reading this speech, in my heart I have to call you a brother. I really am shaken to the bone in appreciation for your service to our nation and for honoring those who gave their lives for our God and country. Best to you.
-- Martin N. Tirrell
Lisbon, New Hampshire

The remarks of Ben Stein in Arlington were my inspiration for Memorial Day 2006. He put the juxtaposition between real Americans and the MSM into perspective. Those of us with a sense of history and a modicum of common sense realize that the liberal media have short-changed the brave men and women who fight for our continued freedom in America. Radical Islam is a threat to our freedoms and will continue to spread like cancer unless the brave military are successful in their mission. God bless their courage and fortitude in the wake of the cacophony of unknowing critics.
-- Sallie Jones

As a veteran, I offer a small suggestion on "how to make it up to them." But first, I have to say that there is no way to compensate a mother for the loss of her son, or a wife and children for the loss of her husband and their father. But there is something we can join together and accomplish that will keep the hero's spirit alive in the hearts of America.

Ask your self three questions. Does my town have a Veterans' Memorial? Why not? What can I do to make such a memorial a reality?

My town, Wellington, has just such a memorial. It is in a triangular piece of land where all enter the village. Prominently displayed are the flags of the United States, Florida, and each branch of the military. On the rock work that comprises the backdrop are the words "Veteran's Memorial." Quite literally, thousands of people pass it each day.

I think our park is much like a Veteran's Cemetery: a dignified, simple place of quiet peace. Interestingly, on Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Veterans Day it is strewn with yellow flowers. Somebody remembers.

Wouldn't it be magnificent if every town in America had a place to lay yellow flowers?
-- Jay W. Molyneaux
Wellington, Florida

I understand Ben Stein's compassion for the families of military personnel. My father was a British Army Captain during World War II. After enthusiastically enlisting and training at Sandhurst, he participated in campaigns in Italy, Greece, North Africa and the Middle East. I wouldn't be here today if he hadn't met my mother in Greece. But military life doesn't prepare soldiers for civilian life. By age 40 he was an alcoholic, and at age 50 he shot himself in the head. The repercussions of war go far beyond what most people imagine.

My quibble with Ben Stein is that he doesn't use his brain to do the most good. If he is able to approve of Keynsian economics in the New York Times one day, why does he choose to act as an apologist for the Bush administration the next? The fact that Americans are dying in Afghanistan and Iraq is indeed disturbing, and it is appropriate to grieve for the dead, the wounded and their families. But wouldn't it make more sense for a person with Ben Stein's influence to discourage our participation in ill-conceived wars? If we hadn't invaded Iraq, none of those casualties would have occurred, and Saddam Hussein would still be doing his brutal dictator shtick -- without any weapons of mass destruction. Ben Stein comes across as an opportunistic journalist and a servant to those in power.
-- Paul Dorell
Highland Park, Illinois

Thanks Ben Stein for your insightful article. I am a veteran and you hit the nail squarely on the head. Good to see that there are a few in Hollywood who understand the sacrifices our service members and their families make to preserve our way of life.
-- Dusty Woodlee

Letter to the Editor

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