2003
George Hartley Best Editorial
Taken
from "Voiture
334 Newsletter", Willard C. McCabe,
Editor
A
Day for Remembrance
Our
Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor. That was not an idle pledge that our
forefathers made when you consider their fate had our cause been lost. As it
were, many of those who had remained loyal to the Crown, fearful for their
lives, fled to the Bahamas or to the Maritimes. With that determination, our
Country was born. It was then established among the Nations in the War of 1812.
As the Country expanded to the West, it seemed that we were forever fighting the
native Indians and the neighboring Mexicans. When our Country was divided by
great Civil War, there was a huge call for troops, but, if were conscripted and
could get a replacement you didn’t have to go. I worked for a man who said his
grandfather hired a young man to take his place for $300, a tidy sum in those
days. The fact that the young man didn't return never bothered them. Then as we
continued our march to the West we had the Battleship Maine blow up and we were
in the Spanish-American war and calling for volunteers. Later as we became
involved in the World War something new was added: the "Fish Bowl"
draft. But it only applied to single males. I remember a cartoon from that era
showing a line at the Marriage License window with a Soldier and his bride-to be
at the rear. The caption said "Step to the front of the line, Soldier, we
know that you're not a slacker." Later as the clouds gathered for WWII the
draft was resumed. The big thing was the classification 4 -F. Some went in
anyway but couldn't keep up. what surprised us were our seemingly healthy
neighbors who had suddenly developed severe maladies and couldn't serve. Then we
had a "Police Action" in Korea and many became conscientious
objectors. We had Sects where their young men would serve doing menial jobs in a
distant hospital, but we had our doubts about some of the others. Then in the
very unpopular war in Vietnam we had many flee to Canada to avoid serving. When
a President offered amnesty, some said it wasn't enough. There has always been
those who served and those who couldn't or wouldn't. With the demise of the
draft we have seen what our Regulars can do when called upon. What we are really
here for today is to remember those who didn't live to return to home and
family. To them we can only say a very humble "Thank You."
