As a pacifist I don’t care to celebrate war. As the granddaughter of an amazing and intelligent man who was drafted to fight in WW2, I want citizens of the USA to be more connected to the tragedy and trials of war. Listening to his stories of the war, paying attention to the emotion in his voice and the tears that he won’t let fall are my education about war. War is human made and there are human costs.

The more we know the slower we will be to approve military actions. There are consequences not just for the returning veterans. Families of military, innocents caught in crossfire, human lives lost, destructive violence, hardened hearts, and ruined communities are all part of war. We are all connected.

Here is a link with a few references to how we are effected by war such as health, infrastructure and trauma of children. http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/themes/war/effects.aspx

Happy Veterans Day.

My brave grandfather.