Veterans without Honor

I was honored to be involved in the memorial service for Gerald Watkins last week. He was a Vietnam War Veteran and a St. Louis Police Officer. Gerald proudly served his country in the U.S. Army fighting on foreign soil and after the war continued to try to keep the world safe here at home. He also witnessed the impact that the controversy of the Vietnam War had on our nation’s attitude toward its veterans. It broke his heart that veterans of Vietnam were not given the same honor as veterans of WWII. He knew that it was not really due to a lack of respect for their sacrifices as military personnel, but rather that it was due to questions about the appropriateness of America’s involvement in the war. However, it still hurt him to see the lack of positive responses to returning soldiers due to the fact that the war itself was not supported by many Americans. He felt our nation is experiencing a similar situation today in our current political controversy over Iraq. It seems there is something to be learned from Gerald in this, to find some way to honor those who answer their call to duty, even when the conflict itself is being questioned. How can our nation prevent repeating the negative that Gerald and his comrades in arms experienced after their return from Vietnam? And I wonder as a minister if there is some way that a church that has members with wide ranging views on the war in Iraq can play a role in honoring today’s veteran without it being interpreted as supporting a particular side in a highly controversial and hotly debated political conflict?

David