Parents who lose children, whether through accident or illness, inevitably wonder what they could have done to prevent their loss. When my son was killed in Iraq earlier this month at age 27, I found myself pondering my responsibility for his death. Among the hundreds of messages that my wife and I have received, two bore directly on this question. Both held me personally culpable, insisting that my public opposition to the war had provided aid and comfort to the enemy. Each said that my son's death came as a direct result of my antiwar writings... What exactly is a father's duty when his son is sent into harm's way? Among the many ways to answer that question, mine was this one: As my son was doing his utmost to be a good soldier, I strove to be a good citizen... Memorial Day orators will say that a G.I.'s life is priceless. Don't believe it. I know what value the U.S. government assigns to a soldier's life: I've been handed the check. It's roughly what the Yankees will pay Roger Clemens per inning once he starts pitching next month... "I Lost My Son to a War I Oppose. We Were Both Doing Our Duty." by Andrew Bacevich This very sad editorial was written by a man who lost his only son in the Iraq War two weeks ago. Bacevich, a Vietnam War vet, Roman Catholic Christian, conservative critic of the Iraq War, historian and author of "The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War", deserves his say on this Memorial Day. Whether you agree or disagree with him about the current war, as Christians we must agree with him that we are to be good citizens for the sake of our neighbors---hoping not in kings or in war but in the LORD (Psalm 33).
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