Endless war

Some time ago, Smithsonian Magazine ran a column that chronologically listed America's wars. With only one descriptive paragraph per war, and an occasional image to break the text, the list made a strong impression on me. So much so, that I clipped it out of the magazine and saved it.

Below are the names and dates of America's wars from that list.

French and Indian War (1754-1763); Revolutionary War (1775-1783); War of 1812 (1812-1814); Mexican War (1846-1848); Civil War (1861-1865) Spanish American War (1898); World War I (1914-1918); World War II (1939-1945); Korean War (1950-1953); Vietnam War (1955-1975); Persian Gulf War (1991); War in Afghanistan (2001 - ); and War in Iraq (2003 - )

Smithsonian's list also included the Eastern Indian Wars (1636-1838); Western Indian Wars (1865-1890); and The Cold War (1945-1991). It doesn't take a mathematical genius to see that, all wars considered, it would take less time and space to list the years we've lived in peace.

War's aftermath

ActiVets, a veteran support group founded by Mike Boren, executive director of the Big Bend Natural History Association, has a motto that says it all — "Healing the Wounds of War with Wilderness."

I first learned about the non-profit group last fall, when Big Bend Gazette publisher John Waters wrote about his overnight river trip through Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park with newly returned war veterans. He wrote that most of the vets had never been in the region and were "overtaken by the natural beauty."

Having visited that park, I know it's good for the soul. I believe it would work as a fine antidote to multiple tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Our veterans deserve a time and place to heal.

ActiVets is planning more trips this year and is opening up its circle to include other National Parks. For information, visit activets.org. Be sure to watch the 8-minute documentary. To read Waters' article, "Healing the Wounds of War with Wilderness," visit bigbendgazette.com.

Call me a stickler

I am fully aware it was last weekend when we observed Memorial Day. I am sure I had as good a time as anyone. But somehow I felt distracted. I felt as if I had missed the point.

Memorial Day, once known as Decoration Day, used to be observed on May 30. Time was set aside to decorate the graves and honor the members of the military who died in the service of this country. Supposedly, that date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of a battle. Considering the amount of time this country has been involved in war, finding that date could not have been easy.

The tradition of honoring our war dead does continue. Flags are flown. Wreaths are laid. Taps is played. But I worry that these traditions sometimes get lost in a three-day weekend of fun and frolic.

I have never known anyone who died in a war. Family fought in World War I and World War II. Family and friends fought in Vietnam. Maybe they weren't quite the same when they came home, but everyone did come home. It's the folks who didn't return that haunt me.

As of the middle of this month, American military casualties in Iraq totaled 4,296. Casualties in Afghanistan totaled 683. Maybe it's time we once again set aside May 30 to honor our dead. Maybe it's time we rid ourselves of distractions and contemplate the human cost of war.