A Christian Liberal is NOT an oxymoron.

Posted by XT on February 21st, 2009 in General

I spent six years in the Navy. My father served for over twenty years, including three tours off the coast of Nam. My grandfather was a Marine in WW2, including over a year as a POW of the Japanese. I could go into all the cousins, uncles, and various relatives that have served, but the point is that my family understands what it means to be in the military. We are fortunate that every single member who has served so far has returned alive and whole in body, if not entirely whole in spirit.

The death of a soldier, sailor, marine, or airman is political. Our politicians decide when our Armed Forces are placed at risk, and the decision of when they face combat is partly strategy, but partly political as well. If you keep the bodies from sight; then it is a political statement. If you do not; then it is a political statement as well. It is impossible to take the politics out of it.

Wearing a uniform is a personal statement, not a political one. Even with a voluntary service, each man or woman makes a decision every day to get up and put that uniform on. It isn’t, as some would make it, that every member agrees with policy. It’s that every member has the personal honor and integrity to live up to their obligation regardless of their politics.

The problem I have with releasing pictures of remains is that there is no way to ensure that the political message behind the public use of the images would be the one that the deceased would want. Even if the families are granted controlling rights, that could never be guaranteed. This is the horrible greatness of freedom: People will not always use their freedom responsibly, but they remain free to do so, nonetheless.

Beyond the personal statement of service, there is the political truth of it. The honor of wearing a military uniform lies in the defense of freedom, even when it is misused. We do not get to pick and choose for which freedoms we serve. We embrace them all, and to the fullest limit of their exercise.

All of this is to say that there is no middle ground. Either the photos are kept secret or they are public, for good or for bad. This, too, is a freedom for which we all served and swore to defend to our last breath. That some were called on to surrender that breath should be remembered. If there is dishonor in the act of so doing, then it is the undying dishonor of those who choose to render it.

Let our fallen be seen. They died without our eyes to witness them. The least we can do is give them the respect of not looking away on their final trip home.

Originally posted as a comment by ThurmanHart on The Moderate Voice Discussion Forum using Disqus.

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