Names You Won't Hear on Memorial Day

Of course I support honoring our veterans on Memorial Day. Almost all of the men on my mom's side of the family served in one capacity or another in the Navy during WWI, WWII, Korea or beyond. My grandfather on her side was a Navy diver who got the bends and suffered consequences throughout the rest of his life. On my dad's side we had men serving in the Army, Marines and Navy. My father was a Navy medical corpsman, attached to the Marines, who served at Iwo Jima during WWII and lost most of his fellow medics there.

I had many friends and some relatives who served in Viet Nam, and many who later protested that war. I can still recall WWI vets in my neighborhood growing up who used to sit at the parks and mumble, having been gassed.

But on days like this I always wish we were holding the memorials for ALL the war dead -- civilians and military -- who have died in armed conflict after armed conflict around the globe. And for valiant human beings who have put themselves at risk or been injured or died in other types of noble pursuits here and around the globe, like giving humanitarian aid, teaching where it's needed most, promoting peace and environmental causes, helping in the struggles for minority human rights, women's rights, children's rights or even as a consequence of childbirth. Isn't it time we valued these pursuits as much as, if not more so, than military warriors? When will we stop giving the highest honors only to those who, especially in modern times, serve the cause of imperialism directly or indirectly?

In that vein, and considering we're in the midst of a war and occupation of choice that has killed more than 100,000 civilians in Iraq, check out this Daily Kos post. Make sure you have a strong stomach when you do.

Then check out the weekly peace and justice calendar that honors non-military heroes every single week. Let's expand the definition of "hero" to encompass those characterized by bravery, courage and sacrifice in many walks of life.