Everyone dies for "freedom", according to his own view of what freedom is...that is, the freedom for his country and its dominant way of life to put into effect exactly what it regards as the best and most justifiable plan of action, in the face of another group of people who have an entirely different plan in mind. Plus the freedom to go on living for another day, which seems to require killing the guy on the other side of no man's land...or the other side of the trench. This is an experience common to all soldiers, regardless of their uniform.

When a war is won, one side's idea of "freedom" is finally crushed, while the other side's idea of it appears to have triumphed for the time being. Thus the gaining of freedom for one combatant is identical to the loss of freedom for the other...just as in a fight between 2 individuals.

And to the victors go the spoils.

Politicians always dress up their wars by speaking grandly of freedom...God forbid that the public should guess at the real nature of the bloody game.

This world is ruled not by justice, but by violence... actual or implied.

To the soldiers, brave men used by politicians to play cynical power games, I accord all honour...regardless of which uniform they wore. I don't thank them for giving me my freedom (they did not do that), but I honor them for giving their lives, for their courage, and for doing the best they knew how in an absolutely desperate, horrific situation.

- LH