I went to the annual performance of the gymnastics class of a young friend. The kids in her gymnastics school were ages 4 to 13 or so, and they performed to music. One set was a star-spangled, red-white-and-blue affair, with the music including "God Bless America," "This Land Is Your Land" and other "patriotic" songs - all played by a military-sounding band (Woody must be spinning in his grave).

Our friend Hannah was in another "patriotic" set. In this one, the girls wore olive drab t-shirts and pants that looked like fatigues, and part of the performance involved marching and saluting to martial music. It all seemed like a form of indoctrination to me, preparing very young kids to see warfare as something glorious - and it made me feel very uneasy.

I did my three years in the army because it was my duty. I didn't go to Vietnam, but I did my time. I shot the guns and lost part of my hearing. I took the verbal abuse from the drill sergeants. I breathed the tear gas and threw up. And I reluctantly stood for the "Star-Spangled Banner" every time I watched a movie for three years. And I hated all that, but I did it becasue I had to. Now that I'm a civilian, I don't want to see that sort of stuff.

On the other hand, I agree with Dave (the ancient mariner) that Memorial Day is a day to honor and mourn those who died in war - it does not seem to me to be a celebration of warfare. I think it's completely appropriate for a nation to mourn those who died in war, and to honor those who served in war - but I think there's something wrong about exposing young kids to uniforms and marching and all that macho military malarkey.

-Joe Offer-