Take time to give meaning to Veterans Day
Edwin A. Locke from the Ayn Rand Institute
Issue date: 11/11/03 Section: Editorial
The mere fact they needed help should not have created a claim on the efforts and the lives of U.S. soldiers.
Our heroic fighting men and women are not to blame for these disasters. It is the politicians who are responsible. It is they who believe our soldiers are sacrificial fodder to fulfill the politicians' desire for "prestige-enhancing" adventures.
They believe our armed forces can be sent to aid Somalia - or Haiti or Bosnia - to be able to show the world how "humanitarian" the politicians are.
But politicians desperate for prestige to assuage their self-doubts should be informed they may not utilize our armed forces as the tool for obtaining it. And they should be told we have no duty to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of any country in need of our assistance. Our soldiers are sovereign beings who have a right to their own lives.
Furthermore, our armed forces should consist only of volunteers. It is an ugly contradiction to claim we must protect freedom by coercing people to fight. If the cause is just and the American interests clear, there will be no shortage of enlistments. In fact, a volunteer force helps make sure our soldiers do battle only when serious threats to our interests are at stake. A volunteer force will prevent politicians from involving us in senseless wars.
We must be proud of our soldiers, but it is equally true they should be proud of the cause they fight for. It is terrible to die in war, but there is one thing worse: to die in a war that has no meaning, a war that offers no reason for risking one's life.
The best way we can honor our veterans and give real meaning to Veterans Day - aside from ceremonies honoring their past and present dedication and bravery - is to promise we will go to war only when America's interests as a free nation are threatened.
The events of Sept. 11 have made it abundantly clear there exist Muslim fanatics whose goal is to destroy our country and the values it stands for. It is clearly in our self-interest to use the full power of our military might to destroy those who would destroy us.
Our heroic fighting men and women are not to blame for these disasters. It is the politicians who are responsible. It is they who believe our soldiers are sacrificial fodder to fulfill the politicians' desire for "prestige-enhancing" adventures.
They believe our armed forces can be sent to aid Somalia - or Haiti or Bosnia - to be able to show the world how "humanitarian" the politicians are.
But politicians desperate for prestige to assuage their self-doubts should be informed they may not utilize our armed forces as the tool for obtaining it. And they should be told we have no duty to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of any country in need of our assistance. Our soldiers are sovereign beings who have a right to their own lives.
Furthermore, our armed forces should consist only of volunteers. It is an ugly contradiction to claim we must protect freedom by coercing people to fight. If the cause is just and the American interests clear, there will be no shortage of enlistments. In fact, a volunteer force helps make sure our soldiers do battle only when serious threats to our interests are at stake. A volunteer force will prevent politicians from involving us in senseless wars.
We must be proud of our soldiers, but it is equally true they should be proud of the cause they fight for. It is terrible to die in war, but there is one thing worse: to die in a war that has no meaning, a war that offers no reason for risking one's life.
The best way we can honor our veterans and give real meaning to Veterans Day - aside from ceremonies honoring their past and present dedication and bravery - is to promise we will go to war only when America's interests as a free nation are threatened.
The events of Sept. 11 have made it abundantly clear there exist Muslim fanatics whose goal is to destroy our country and the values it stands for. It is clearly in our self-interest to use the full power of our military might to destroy those who would destroy us.
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