Veterans

Posted on | July 25, 2009 |

Today Harry Patch, the last surviving British “Tommy” to fight in World War One, died at age 111. He’d been a machine-gunner in 1917.  A week earlier the previous oldest survivor died, at 113.

This has special poignancy for me because today is St James’ Day, the day on which 68 years earlier my father had a rather frightening encounter with a German battleship.  The unequal struggle smashed his aircraft into the sea, killing one crew member, but only wounding my father. His life then took an altogether different course from what it had been on.

Two thoughts emerge from this.  The generation from which I emerged was one that was deeply traumatized by war, just as their parents had suffered through World War One. And, as we all know, when we have near-death experiences things change.  Sometimes they do so for better, often for worse.

When are we going to recognize the depth of our International traumas? Whole nations now feel very differently about themselves than they did, once, as they feel their scars.  US foreign policy is still based on the sense of righteousness that fueled World War Two, and that national delusion helped us into Korea, Vietnam, Iraq…..  Lots of wars, in fact; many of which we lost, badly.

If we could face the extent of our national psychic damage we’d have a different approach to conflict.  We’d have to. Perhaps that would bring peace.

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