Memorial Day, 1986

In memoriam. The words are like slowly tolling bells. And it is right and fitting that we should remember our war dead in all solemnity, in all honor, as we decorate the graves of those who have given “the last full measure of devotion” for their home and country. Most of them so young, so wanting to live.

If we could ask them, “What would have us do with the peace you bought for us with your lives?” What might we hear? Our guess is: “Spend the utmost of your energies and time and talents to make sure that it never happens again.”

“War in our time has become an anachronism. Whatever the case in the past, war in the future can serve no useful purpose. A war which becomes general, as any limited action might, could result in the virtual destruction of mankind,” said the great general, Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1957.

Nearly 30 years later, President Eisenhower’s insight has even greater impact since living in a world with 50,000 nuclear weapons can destroy humankind many times over.

On this Memorial Day, 1986, we need to see that reality is demanding that we spend our energies, our time and talents to change the way we think about how we resolve our conflicts. We owe a debt to our past warriors and all future generations to stop the direction we are going.

We must learn how to live together, and be willing to understand and accept our differences and not fear them. Let this Memorial Day be a day when we begin fulfilling the dreams of the fallen dead we are remembering. ELEANOR ANDERSON Lomita