Imagine if you will, what you would feel if they blew up the Lincoln Memorial or Washington's monument? I would hope a vast emptiness of the loss of something that to many of us stood for Great Men in turbulent but Great Times. I would for sure feel the loss.
For me also would be the bitterness and hatred for anyone that destroyed the Vietnam Wall. A place that commemorates the lost and the too many wasted lives of our loved ones in a conflict with a strange beginning in the Gulf of Tonkin and ended with our Marines hanging out of a Huey as it departed the U.S. Embassy in Saigon right on 11 years later. We actually lost a troop back in 1964 when a truck driver got killed supporting a delivery to an Advisor Detail. At least that is the story I remember? I am sure there are those who can tell if better if they wished? I know most of us who were in the Service in those years have the memories even if not the ability to voice them sometimes. But for sure that Wall is a wondrous site to us that served and the families of those who served and lost.
And back to Palmyra, Syria. I wondered why they beheaded the 81 year old man there. I just found out he was a caretaker/ Archeologist of sorts for the site. I would put his murder along side that of the two journalist and another police officer just killed here. A wanton and total waste of good people for no good reason. One for Ideology; three for Racism. Far, far too many in the past years for any really legitimate reasons. Both will continue to exist for generations to come but with no true basis for murder, destruction and general mayhem. I can say that for decades I could not imagine killing one because of the color of one's skin or their Religion to Love God? Now knowing my Faith would get me killed quite readily I am forced to rethink one of my tenants on the "Love Thy Neighbor" list.
The World I grew up in was one of tranquil days and nights where the biggest worry was to stay out of traffic on our bikes. Could even hitchhike to the big city (about 4500 people) and from town (about 400 people in Winter), about seven miles away without worry of who picked us up? Could walk the streets at night and wonder at the sounds of the night; an Owl, insects we could hear and never see; something in the bushes that made us shake and sometimes run in imagined fear of a wolf or fox; but never a harmful person.
I can only feel sadness that the babies and children of today can never know that World. Instead they can not play outside if not under the watchful eye of a parent/ neighbor. Only a short jaunt from the house if even that. Maybe a trip to Jackson Park for some sort of sport's activity or to actually be part of it. Gotta give Vienna much credit for trying to provide for the kids. But I fear they fight a rising tide and it is not good?
Seems I spent too much time today thinking of then and not enough of now? But in this the last days of a swiftly passing summer, one can do that sometimes. Having the luxury of memories both good and bad while so many have yet to earn and learn theirs? We so often look at what is wrong around us; than forget to look at what is still so good.
Let the City Governance do what it will today; there for sure is tomorrow and it will still be on its agenda, while the little people try to live too theirs. 'nuff said.