Good morning. Ask a Vet is going to take a turn today.


Yesterday was Memorial Day in these United States. A date to honour our war dead and remember the sacrifices made by many thousands in “defending our freedoms”.

But have they, really?

Our differently-winged friends crow about their commitment to our veterans, without ever actually following through on those flowery promises. What I am thinking about today though, is that annual reminder that those who gave their lives in service to the United States died “defending our freedoms”

But have they at all?

I daresay the last veterans that were actually “defending our freedoms” died in 1781 at the hands of the British. Or perhaps in 1814, again at the hands of the British.

Perhaps you can argue about the Civil War – Union Soldiers were defending the rights of Black men in the South, were they not? Well – maybe not. Several states in the South seceded, and decided to defy the authority of the United States over the right to have slavery. The initial phase of the Civil War was to keep the Union together, and prevent those states from leaving. It didn’t become about slavery until the Emancipation Proclamation in January of 1863.

But since then, has any American soldier died “defending our freedoms”? I daresay NO.

After the Civil War, what have we had?

The Spanish-American war was more about the United States vs. the Spanish Empire for the right to dominate and influence the Caribbean. I don’t think any freedoms were threatened.

Both World Wars were more about defending Europe from various kinds of Imperialist domination. Again, no American Freedoms were threatened.

Both Korea and Vietnam were proxy wars against the Soviet Union. Since we are both nuclear powers, a direct confrontation would likely end badly.

Over the last 40 years, our ‘wars’ have been more about projecting American Imperialism around the globe. I’m fairly certain nary a freedom has been threatened in the last four decades, despite us fighting on multiple fronts around the globe.

For the most part, “They died defending our freedoms” is a lie. Nothing more than the ongoing propaganda that is constantly forced upon us by our differently-winged friends.
If you choose to remember, think of the names Isaac Davis, John Parker, Joseph Warren, Israel Putnam, or maybe even Andrew Jackson. Those men did indeed defend our freedoms.

Have we had any reason to think the United States has been seriously threatened since then?

Except by ourselves, of course…