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We recently commemorated Memorial Day 2009, so I took the time to revisit Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. I was visiting less than an hours drive from this national landmark and thought it best to pay my respects again while I was in the area.
It's not that I have forgotten about this place - I have visited it often. Fondly, I remember my first encounters with Arlington, back in the early 1960s, when I was a college student and had friends who attended Georgetown University.
I first came to Arlington when there was still a sprawling Fort Myers and on the topside, there was a place called North Post where prominent Admirals and Generals lived with their families in government housing. With casualness, these famed military officers just wandered about the area in the summer's night. There weren't any problems with homeland security and this was on post so there weren't any crime concerns.
That summer, I spent more than 50 days walking the grounds during the afternoons and evenings. I visited thousands of gravesites, reading inscriptions, taking notes and doing research for a collegiate term paper on the subject of the Arlington cemetery.
During those evening walks, I remember meeting General Curtis E. LeMay, the crusty and often belligerent Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and father of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). Yes he was gruff but he willingly acknowledged my presence and talked with me. I told him I was not in the military, but would be there soon enough, since I was in ROTC.
On one occasion, I met the late Arthur Godfrey, the famed radio and television luminary, visiting his friend General LeMay. That evening we sat on a giant porch on the front of General LeMay's residence. I spent two hours talking with the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and the biggest star on television. At the end of the night, I asked them both why they would spend time with a college student, who is nobody, when they were the most well known in their profession, and could have spent the entire evening talking between themselves.
Both looked at each other and laughed a little. Godfrey answered for both.
"You are the future of our country and we are the past. What you have to say is important. What we have to say to each other is only memories." Well, those memories of that evening have remained with me for my lifetime.
I also met General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who, as a young officer, served under General George S. Patton and helped plan the invasion of Sicily. I spent many hours talking with General Lemnitzer and he was gracious to even talk to a young college student.
I also remember vividly walking with General Lemnitzer one evening over to the memorial statue of Iwo Jima. This now famous monument portrays American soldiers raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi, at the start of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.
During the month long battle, according to General Lemnitzer, more than 6,800 American soldiers lost their lives. It was impressive as the 32-foot-high figures are shown erecting a 60-foot bronze flagpole, from which a cloth American flag flies 24 hours a day. The monument had been opened to the public and dedicated only seven years prior to our conversation, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
That was almost 50 years ago but I will forever remember that I was given a personal history lesson about a prominent battle in World War II, by the then Chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff. He was not only a military hero but also a warm and gracious grandfatherly type of man.
On other occasions, while walking at night, General Lemnitzer took the time to introduce me to General David M. Shoup, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, the three-term Chief of Naval Operations, and General Clyde D. Eddleman, the Army's Vice Chief of Staff.
Fort Myer's North Post, with the beautiful stately homes, no longer exists. The casualties of the many wars, including Vietnam, have used up all of the property. This truly is hallowed ground for the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country. They died so that the values of democracy continue to live on.
As I said, I returned to Arlington, not only to pay my respects but also because I am confused. I now live in a time in which it seems the values taught me in my youth are now meaningless.
I guess I am having what is presently referred to as a reality check.' I only wish I knew where to publish this column, so all of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay (GITMO) could be just as confused.
A few months ago, U.S. National Intelligence Director and retired US Navy Admiral Dennis C. Blair was speaking about those prisoners at GITMO who stand a good chance of being released into the United States, under new policies adopted by President Barack H. Obama. You think he said not so', but listen closely to his words what he said was he wouldn't release prisoners into the US who pose a threat.
Director Blair pointed out that released prisoners will have to get some sort of welfare, to help them start their new lives in the good old United States of America. He apparently must have thought about this a bit and then concluded, "We can't just put them out on the street."
It must be very hard for our enemies to fully understand American liberals and their peculiar sense of values.
Try to put yourself in their shoes for a moment: First, you are born in a country (you pick it) that has progressed only to the year 500 a country with no government, controlled only by religious clerics with differing beliefs. A life with no quality food, very little clean drinking water, no roads, and no healthcare system. A culture where men continually beat their women, and are brainwashed to believe that if you die for your country in battle, you will be rewarded with somewhere between 69 to 73 virgins (that varies slightly). Believers train for combat under the most primitive conditions with false promises of glory in warfare.
Now picture these zealots being captured on the battlefield where they are trying to kill U.S. soldiers, flown out of their homeland, and imprisoned at GITMO a place where they immediately are provided expert medical attention and better nutrition than they have ever had in their life.
Then, from to the efforts of the ACLU, the National Democratic Party, and every other liberal bastion known to put down American values, lawyers from some of Washington's most prestigious law firms offer to represent them pro bono (free of charge). I wonder if many of them even know what a lawyer is.
During their internment at GITMO, a new American president is elected a man who for 20 years went to a church' whose pastor loved to shout "God Damn America" from the pulpit.
These prisoners are told that same new president intends to release them inside the country that they dreamed of destroying someday. To add to this confusion, the Director of National Intelligence openly declares that he wants them to be paid a stipend, by those dreadful infidel taxpayers, so that they can adjust to their new life.
And then just a few weeks later, that same president started floating the idea of taking away some of the major key element healthcare benefits from the very same soldiers who captured them benefits these prisoners will keep. Do you suppose they are confused yet, or does this confirm their belief that Americans are insane infidel dogs?
I pondered the meaning of all this as I returned to Arlington National Cemetery, because I too am confused.
The grounds at Arlington were, as usual, manicured and the nature was peaceful. There was a serenity and calmness that allowed my mind to be at ease. The crosses and stars were precisely aligned and a few families were visiting the gravesites of loved ones who had fallen.
I thought about the tranquility. It was earned because most who lie here met their death in a violent, painful and hostile atmosphere. I could only imagine the screams, the smells, and the horror of it all, and then rightfully concluded they deserved their peace and quiet.
These brave comrades had no say in their own demise. They were not participatory in the decision making process which caused their death. They did not have the privilege to serve in the White House or the Congress, where war is approved; but they earned their right to lie here in peace.
I was there for hours on end and did not realize the time had passed so quickly. My mind was off in a far distant place. I was wondering and thinking: with the current mood in America, what kind of a prayer do I now offer my fallen comrades? What do I tell my grandchildren? How do I explain this to anyone who is a patriot or who loves America?
My thoughts too, were about those who also served and are fortunate to be living. Don't they deserve the same respect and honor from the liberals?
I concluded that our President and his current administration discredit our service to our country. This President and his current administration are programmed to read from teleprompters, not speak from their hearts. This President and his current administration are choreographed to present a production on a grandiose scale, and to obfuscate facts and realities.
Now, when my grandchildren ask me questions, I respond but find myself struggling to answer them truthfully, and often am ashamed of my answers. My only solace is that I am one day older and closer to death; and am not afraid to meet my creator.
For now, all I can think about is the late President Ronald Reagan and his words still ring true. "Are you better off today than you were only four months ago?"
JP Bender is a retired award winning investigative reporter with 35 years experience in the profession. He spends his retirement living mostly in the Cayman Islands and often travels around the United States reporting on issues of national interest. His peers claim he does not fully understand the meaning of “retired.”
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