| Vietnam is a good example, and since you go back to the War of Independence I could go back not quite so far to the Civil War and point out that a lot of good solid American boys died in an attempt to defend slavery. Ok, so it was more complicated (isn't it always?) but I'm not sure you can always call it a mistake, I think all to often those sending them to their deaths know perfectly well what they're doing, and it's not unknown for those doing the actual fighting to have a pretty good idea.
After the Falklands war, there was a memorial service here in the UK, at which the Archbishop of Canterbury insisted on praying for the fallen of both sides to the intense annoyance of the then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. I'm convinced he was right, because both sides were just as convinced that they were fighting for right, for freedom (and history suggests that the Argentinians had a rather better claim).
Sorry, but if somebody is tricked (or forced or goes knowingly) into fighting to steal somebody's liberty and gets killed in the process then I'll willingly call it "tragic" but I don't see it as in any way "glorious". |
