Since it was first celebrated on May 30, 1868, Memorial Day is a federal holiday where Americans commemorate their fallen soldiers. We often forget that soldiers have no choice about the wars our government wages. They ultimately serve the country and follow orders to the best of their abilities. In extreme circumstances, they must make the ultimate sacrifices in the line of duty.
While the military plays an important role in keeping the nation safe, it has been increasingly used to carry out fantastical nation-building projects over the past few decades. This is part of the radical change US foreign policy has gone through over the course of the last century, where lawmakers have ignored the wisdom of the Founding generation and have gotten the US involved in all sorts of entangling alliances and dangerous military ventures abroad.
Despite these flaws in American foreign policy, military members who do their service honorably should be respected. Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar reminded his followers on May 29, 2022 why we celebrate Memorial Day and why we owe our greatest warriors a rational foreign policy:
Memorial Day is to commemorate our fallen soldiers. Life is precious. We should not risk the lives of our soldiers on useless foreign wars defending the borders of other countries. I pray for peace for the fallen and the living.
Memorial Day is to commemorate our fallen soldiers. Life is precious. We should not risk the lives of our soldiers on useless foreign wars defending the borders of other countries. I pray for peace for the fallen and the living.
— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) May 30, 2022
In an ideal world, the military would be used for purposes of actual national defense ie. protecting our border, keeping great powers out of the US’s sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere, and defending the country from enemies foreign and domestic. Anything that goes outside of the scope of those activities threatens to overstretch our military, put our service members in harm’s way, and fast-track the US on the path to imperial decay.
As we celebrate another Memorial Day, we should not only honor those service members who made the ultimate sacrifices but also make sure that none of our bravest warriors have to die in vain for another quixotic nation-building venture abroad.
