Arma virumque cano [was Re: Hurtgen forest]

Last academic year I was a sophomore at my college, and thus read for
seminar in the first months much of the Bible, and much from the Romans.
In September the reading became almost eerily appropriate. Shortly after
September 11th and perhaps a day after, or the same day, the news arrived of
American military action in Afghanistan, I was reading the epic from which
the subject line comes, and one of my seminar tutors asked the following
question to open our two hours of discussion:

Why is war beautiful? Or what is beautiful about it, or to what extent is
it beautiful?

This was a particularly jarring question, of course, since most all of the
nineteen- and twenty-year-olds in the room had been raised in post-Vietnam
America, had quite nearly always taken for granted the atrocity of war, and
because we had just learned that we were entering a war without clear
targets or exit strategies that we were aware of, and the males among us had
rather recently been legally required to register for the draft. Several of
us, myself included, carry draft cards in our wallets.

But the fact remains, it seems to me. Something of war, whatever adjectives
you wish to use, is tied to us -- perhaps especially the men. The
popularity and pervasiveness of war movies need not be pointed out, and all
of us in that seminar were acutely aware that even Socrates had fought in
war, that it was once a rare man who was not ever a soldier, whether he was
a philosopher, physicist, doctor or farmer. The Romans actually allowed
only property-owning men to fight, since they, it was thought, had the most
to lose. The young and poor were kept from service. And, of course, the
greatest epic poets have thought, at least, that war is worthy of epic
poems -- and perhaps that little else makes an appropriate setting. Homer
begins with the invocation: "Sing rage, goddess" and Virgil, as in the
subject line, begins: "I sing of arms and a man."

Having a draft card in my wallet while my country is at war makes me less
confident than Scottie to speak of regrets of not having the opportunity.
The opportunity is frightening, and I cannot honestly say that I would like
to GO to war. I am sure, however, that I would very much prefer HAVING BEEN
in one. The distinction is sharp.

Israel's Law of Return covers me, I believe, and I have considered -- and
not yet ruled out entirely -- serving for a time in the Israeli military for
dual citizenship. And to be entirely honest, the thought of serving in the
military is quite nearly as appealing in the fantasy as having the dual
citizenship. It's still frightening, of course, and I do not think that
these thoughts on war make it much less of a horror. But to chime in with
absolute condemnations of all war, to call it purely dispicable and nothing
else, would make me a liar.

-robbie
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Received on Sat Aug 10 16:49:55 2002