Jake Tappers interview with Marcus Luttrell provides a clear - TopicsExpress

Jake Tappers interview with Marcus Luttrell provides a clear example of this. Well-meaning and genuinely concerned, Tapper said of the movie Lone Survivor: One of the emotions I felt while watching the film is... just the hopelessness of the situation, how horrific it was and also just all that loss of life of these brave American men... It seemed senseless. Luttrell answers sharply, We spend our whole lives training to defend this country and then we were sent over there by this country, so youre telling me that because we were over there doing what we were told by our country that it was senseless and they died for nothing? Not having an answer to that question is an abdication of responsibility by the American people. As a democracy, our soldiers go to war because of the decisions of the electorate, so the American people should reaffirm the worth of the struggle for our military -- not the other way around. In his History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides shows the importance of this reciprocal relationship between the state and its soldiery through Pericles Funeral Oration. Every year, the Athenians would give a funeral at public expense to honor those who had fallen in war. Rather than praise the heroism of the soldiers in battle, Pericles begins by extolling the virtues of the Athenian state -- its democratic constitution, liberality in foreign policy, and cultivation of the arts. Only after praising Athens as a city does Pericles transition to the Athenian soldier. In his most beautiful prose, Pericles explains that the sacrifices of the fallen heroes are given meaning by the virtue of the state. Athenian warriors never die in vain, because Athens is a noble city and the city asked them to go to war. The valor and honor of those who died comes not from their actions on the battlefield, but from the decision to answer their peoples call to fight for the city. The challenge, he argues, is for the survivors to show the same resolve by recognizing the virtue of the state: You must yourselves realize the power of Athens, and feed your eyes upon her from day to day, till love of her fills your hearts; and then, when her greatness shall break upon you, you must reflect that it was by courage, sense of duty, and a keen feeling of honor in action that men were enabled to win all this, and that no personal failure could make them consent to deprive their country of their valor, but they laid it at her feet as the most glorious contribution they could offer. Americans similarly understand that the heroism of our men and women in uniform comes from their decision to answer the nations call to arms. The support that the military community has received over the last decade has been inspiring, as organizations like Operation Gratitude and other veteran service organizations have allowed citizens to express their appreciation for the troops. But that alone is not enough. Americans have to believe that our Union is an honorable one. Though we may make mistakes, we are a force for good in the world because of our values, our system of government, and our people. We can debate the effectiveness of policies, and even oppose politically what our troops are doing overseas. But if we steadfastly hold that America is a moral and good nation, our troops can then believe that their sacrifices are honorable and that no serviceman dies in vain. President Obama drew on Pericles when he challenged Americans to persevere like Cory Remsburg. The State of the Union address itself is an imitation of the Funeral Oration, a paean to the virtues and continued strength of the nation. It is therefore fitting that all presidents honor our heroes during the SOTU, regardless of the political content of the speech. For as Pericles argued then, its the long unbroken line of heroes that made this nation; but its the virtues of the nation that gives meaning to their valor and sacrifice. Corys challenge to our country is for America to remember what makes our nation great. If we want to honor him and the warriors he represents, lets start by believing again in the America experiment and our way of life. Let us live up to that challenge, so that as Pericles might say, So lived this generation as became Americans. Read more: americanthinker/2014/02/cory_remsburg_and_the_american_spirit.html#ixzz2sT5oovwe Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook