[November 23, 2016] In the meeting halls of various veteran organizations there are old men telling war stories to other men; sometimes boorish, always boring, often brash. That’s the stereotype anyway and yet my take is that there are actually good tales being told … if we only are willing to listen with an open mind.
It’s difficult enough to find men who’ve seen the hellish nature of close and deadly combat. While wars differ, those who survived from the last century have something to tell us that we all should hear. What they are saying is that war is a terrible thing and it changes you forever, but it is also necessary more often than not as the last resort to destroy evil. Each of their stories is a fragment of that task to wipe out those who would enslave, destroy, and kill without mercy.
The fact is, war does settle disputes.1 This unqualified true statement is often overlooked by those who morally oppose war and disparage those who are part of it. Those who fight to win our wars know both the sacrifices made and the good gained from eliminating an enemy who is evil. War stories tell us of the struggles of those men and women who were there taking the fight to the enemy. Those who fight evil are moral in their actions.
Sometimes being moral means destroying and yes killing an enemy that has evil as their intent. Few would argue that destroying either the Nazi or Japanese Empires during World War II was anything but necessary. To listen to their stories of WWII can be fascinating and of great learning if only we would take the time to sit down and simply listen. Sadly, most combat veterans of the 20th century are now gone and only a small number remain; their stories soon to be lost.
I often find myself sitting with an older military veteran and hearing them tell the tells of war. I listen for lessons of bravery, leadership, comradeship, and also of fear, deprivation, and horror at what evil can do and has done over the history of humankind. To hear it being told is a gift for the listener and we should be honored to now be made a part of that experience.
The next time you’re in the company of an “old vet” and he begins to tell war stories, consider yourself privileged and be grateful for being a piece of it. They only tell you because they believe you are also good and should hear such stories because one day you might be the one called upon to fight evil.
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https://www.theleadermaker.com/war-settles-disputes/