Before my older-self marched for peace, my childhood-self marched in the Mineola Memorial Day parades of the 1960s. Our scout troop would assemble with all the other parade units, then we’d march up Mineola Boulevard, across Jericho Turnpike, and down Marcellus Avenue … ending at the park next to the public library where a large stone memorial bore the names of those who had died for us.
I remember wearing white gloves and stepping in time to the drums while impatiently waiting for my turn to carry the flag (and here I insert an image from another town on Long Island, but really, it could’ve been Anytown, USA) …
At the end of the parade route, we thrilled to hear the wailing fire engine sirens and the thundering gun salute. It was all so exciting, so why, I wondered, were the grownups always so somber?
Then we’d all walk home and have a cookout and that was that. Another year, another war, another plaque …
60 years on and nothing had changed as of 2019, only Covid having the power to to temporarily derail the march of time.
When I was 13 and no longer a scout, I wore a black armband and surely listened to Edwin Starr singing War on the radio … the original here … and later still, when rock videos became a thing, I must have watched this cover by Springsteen.
Seeing the graphic images at the beginning of the Springsteen video, I recall how my folks rarely watched the national news back in the day, saying they didn’t want to bring images of death into their home. These days, I can’t bear to stay in the room as the all-too-real images of death continue to spew off the screen, around the world and in the very streets of America.
There’s a lot of truth to Rachel Maddow’s saying, “watch what they do, not what they say.” I’ll believe this country is on the right track when we finally have true gun control, a national holiday celebrating the end of war, and a seat in the President’s cabinet dedicated to waging peace in the world.
Until then, I’ll mourn the war dead and honor the memory of those who believed in a cause greater than self.
And always I will wonder what might have been …
imagine if we the people had deployed armies of teachers and lawyers, doctors and nurses, construction workers and engineers, rather than soldiers …
imagine if we had fully funded the machinery of peace rather than the weapons of war …
imagine if we had vowed to be true builders of nations by killing the causes of terror with kindness rather than feeding the beast with terrors of our own making …
And then, I dare to imagine it’s still not too late to try …
I'm Going to Texas (version 2.0) 
Thank you, Liz. My thoughts often match yours & my too constant anger can get the better of my mood sometime.
LikeLike
“ … you can say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one …”
LikeLike
(((Liz))) beautiful dreamer
LikeLike
I can’t help seeing how different things could be
LikeLike
“imagine if we had fully funded the machinery of peace rather than the weapons of war”…yes, imagine. Generation after generation, the same question to the same horrors. I just finished reading Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl…the tragedy of their deaths, so close before their freedom. Makes one wonder about human beings.
Great music from back then. I (of course) have my 45 of Edwin Starr’s WAR. A great song to sing (or is it shout?) along to!! I remember seeing the newsreels on the news at night, left a real impression on a young girl (me).
LikeLike
Hi LA – we must dare to remember and dare to imagine a better world. May we continue to march for peace in our minds and actions and art. Go well. Peace. B
LikeLike
continue we must, however we can
LikeLike
Your Memorial Day is much like our ANZAC Day. A dark and sorrowful day – reflecting, remembering and hoping and dreaming for the future. Imagine all the people, living lives of peace…
LikeLike
I can imagine another way for the world to be, but it’s hard to see the path forward
LikeLike
I’ve come here half a dozen times, not sure what to say:
I have never marched in a parade on Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day or the 4th of July. I have marched against the war in Vietnam and protested the gulf war, as well as many other social and moral issues. My husband, although not my husband at the time, was in the Navy. Not necessarily blinded by any sense of extreme patriotism but he felt it was his duty to serve his country, not withstanding that the draft was always hanging over his head. He enlisted even if that meant being sent to Vietnam and as a corpsman, it was a very real possibility. My dear Dad, an immigrant to this country, felt it was his honor and privilege to serve in the Army during WWII, feeling a sense of duty to this country that had opened its doors to him. Duty is a big word, it implies obligation, responsibility. So many ways to do one’s duty…In the end, I honor those for what they believed, for how they acted upon their principles, for what they and their families sacrificed. As for me, I will march, if only virtually, on September 21st, he UN International Day of Peace. My virtual flag contains no stars and stripes; what it does contain is a white dove against a blue background.
LikeLike
the immediacy of blog posting means that first drafts that would do well with some wait time are sometimes posted without sufficient editing … I appreciate the time you took to reflect and have done so myself … thank you for that
LikeLike
Stunning post. From the beautifully wrought elements of memoir to descriptions of where we find ourselves today to the stated wishes for the future. Didn’t follow the links but even without them — packed a punch. Thanks, Liz.
LikeLike
thanks Dee … your take on writing is especially appreciated
LikeLike
So post really resonated with my own thoughts about war and hope for peace. Its a good reminder to me to work towards that hope daily….even in small ways. Thank you for sharing.
LikeLike
thank you in return … I have always believed (hoped) that the future can learn from the past
LikeLike