A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

Now Playing: In Flanders Fields by Sabaton

Now, I think it’s no secret that I’m a military history nerd, or that I have a partner in the military. (No, I won’t tell you what unit. Please don’t ask. This is a strict boundary.) I also don’t try to hide the fact that while I would much rather that the military didn’t have to exist, there is a reason it exists and I have nothing but respect for those who serve in both active forces and reserve forces.

I’ve also made no secret of the fact that I am genuinely considering enlisting myself, despite the fact that I would rather it didn’t exist in the first place. There’s a reason for this.

I’m not looking for glory or anything like that. I do hope that if I enlist and a war does break out, that I can be remembered as having done good for those around me and done what I could to keep casualties to a minimum, but I’m not looking to become some super well known war hero with hundreds of kills and captures. I’m just looking to help my country and those around me and aside from what I’m already doing, this is the best way I know how.

But I’ve always had a lot of respect for those who serve, and that has only increased since my partner and I have been together and meeting some of his friends in the unit and some other military folk at various metal shows. I may hate the fact that the military has to exist in the first place, but I know it isn’t the fault of those who serve.

My feelings on the military existing are complicated. I don’t think it should exist. There’s a reason it exists, so I won’t try to get them to stop existing so long as there’s a need. But that need shouldn’t be there. We should be able to live in a peaceful society without a need for war. However, that need is there, and because of that need, the military exists. Military people I’ve spoken with about this, especially older folks, generally have similar opinions. My partner is very proud of the work that he does with the military, and it’s very clear that he loves his work. But there is a common sentiment of war being a terrible thing that shouldn’t exist.

That’s also why I try to honour those fallen in war regularly. Fallen soldiers were regular people before they were sent to war. They had families, friendships, and whole lives that got uprooted because some asshole got greedy and/or lost their shit about people existing. Many of those soldiers were killed in action, their bodies sent home to be buried. Others that were killed were never identified and many presumed dead were never found. Many of those who survived came back with severe PTSD, some developing unhealthy ways of dealing with it.

I remember having to write a eulogy as a prompt response in a creative writing club I’m in. I ended up writing it from the perspective of someone who was the friend of a veteran who became an alcoholic after the war. I may as well share it here, since I think it’s well done, if understandably dark. It’s listed at the bottom of the post.

In conclusion, war sucks. I respect those who serve, and I love my partner dearly, but I wish the military wasn’t necessary. Respect your local military folk and veterans. Until next time, treat each other with love and kindness.

Minor content warning: mentions of abuse and alcoholism

War does strange things to a person. The constant fear that something could happen at any second but never knowing when the next strike is coming. The pain of seeing your friends die or left with lifelong injuries while defending the people they love from the invading force of a power hungry asshole who doesn’t know when to quit. Leo was a good man, but he never was the same after the war. The drinking, the gambling, the beating his wife and scaring his kids with stories from the front. He fought hard with honour and bravery, only to come home and inflict a different kind of pain on those he had wanted to serve and protect. I sometimes wish he had died in the war. That way, we would have been left only with the memories of the great man he had once been, and not the monster he had become after his time on the front lines.