Teddy Roosevelt had it right
Writing by treason on Monday, 30 of May , 2005 at 7:30 am
It’s Memorial Day. It’s a day to remember and honor those who have died in our nation’s service. And I think of Tony Snow. I heard this week that he’s well enough after his cancer surgery to return to his radio show, and maybe in the middle of June he’ll return to FNC. Because I live in a state that sometimes feels like part of the Third World, I cannot get Tony’s radio show. But I do have cable. I’ve missed him. He’s a class act. But every time I look at him, I remember September 11.
He was closing his report on the day’s events, and began describing what it was like and how it felt. He started talking about the bodies falling from the towers. I could see he was trying to remain composed and professional, and just report the facts as calmly as possible. But he lost it. He choked up, and then I lost it, too.
It’s a day to remember the people who got up on a beautiful morning in September and went to work; the people who fought in a war when they would have preferred to make love instead; the people who fought a war that no one can remember; the people who were the greatest generation, in the mood to save the world; the people who inhaled mustard gas and rotted in the trenches; the people who fought against their own countrymen to make others free; the people who fought against the country that bore them, against an army more powerful and better equipped, to secure their own liberty. We’ve been around for just over 200 years and there have been wars that I failed to mention. We fight a lot. But we usually do it for good reasons and prevent more wars than we engage in.
We’re in the middle of one that’s unpopular and bloody. It’s different from all the others and it may drag on for a very long time. History will write the tale of the conflict in the Middle East and the War on Terror. This might be our next World War. Are we tough enough to fight it and win?
I salute the men and women who are so brave. Where do they get that kind of courage? In May, 2001, months before the September attacks, Tony Snow wrote a column about this day:
“…Memorial Day delivers an important lesson to those who will hear: When nations drop their guard or ignore the reality of evil, innocent people die. Nations endure crises and epidemics, but nothing sears the heart as much as war. If we want to avoid the necessity of building more Arlingtons, we should hear the testimony of those who repose there now: Walk softly. Carry a big stick. And never forget.”
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