Today for those in the Commonwealth is Remembrance Day and those in Etats Unis, Veteran’s Day. It was supposed to remember all those who died in wars all over the world, not to be used by xenophobic jackasses who parade their ancestors service and use it like a stick to pummel immigrants who don’t understand the significance of this day for many (enough self editorializing about brain dead Canadian loudmouths!)

For me, the one that hits home is the Korean War. MegMegMcGee and her boyfriend were kind enough to take me on a pedicab tour (which I recommend) of the various monuments when I visited Washington DC in the middle of Sept this year. I spent a fair amount of time gazing at the Korean War memorial and looking at the names on the KIA board. What sort of surprised me was the number of “Americans” with family names like Choi, Kim, Lee, Rhee, Yi, Park, Kang, etc but they were Korean nationals who were considered KATUSA aka Korean Augmentation To US Army and counted among the US Army KIA.

My dad used to get really grumpy and irritable in June and Nov/Dec. It only took some 45 years to figure out, but I get it now (mostly because of my own traumas cough 08 financial meltdown cough Nortel cough.) The NK Army invaded the Republic of Korea, June 25, 1950 and the Chinese counterattack of late Nov 1950 to Jan 1951 which MacArthur’s own Prussian idiot G-2 (military intelligence), Charles Willoughby pronounced that the South Koreans and US Marine reports of thousands of “Chinese laundrymen” were all a big lie. Boy was Chuck Von Dumbass wrong but this was the norm for him as he was notorious in WW2 for underestimating Japanese strength to the dismay of the US, Australian and New Zealand troops fighting them but he was a favored son of Emperor Douglas so nothing happened to him.

My dad and his family (he was 15 at the time) fled the Chinese counterattack and suffered like thousands of Korean civilians. They were lucky not be bombed by USAF attack planes unlike some refugees (which is unfortunately something air power advocates tend to ignore.)

I wouldn’t be here if UN troops (mostly US) didn’t fight and die on the numerous hills in Korea.

This single fact shaped my internal views and politics for a long time. I was always a “Better Dead Than Red” type and probably heading right towards idiot neo-con alley as a teen if it weren’t for a few things. Like understanding the reality of conflict from a non combatant’s view (dad), actually reading books on the affect of war on people written by people who were there and not just the triumphant histories that hid most of the horrors of war or those written by generals, and meeting people who had completely different opinions than I (damn university!) I slowly realized that my harsh, uncompromising Spartan views made me blind to the beauty of life and why we should respect it.

As I get older, I realize the truth in these words:

“That’s the whole challenge of life – to act with honor and hope and generosity, no matter what you’ve drawn. You can’t help when or what you were born, you may not be able to help how you die; but you can – and you should – try to pass the days between as a good man person.”

-Anton Myrer, author of Once An Eagle

Again, special thanks Farscythe for filling in for me last week as life dealt me a rough hand that day.