Walt Whitman's "My Soldiers, My Veterans"

John Nichols via his Online Beat at The Nation sends us to a poem of The American Civil War. His commentary includes

... on Memorial Day, it is well to pause from the debate to remember those whose lives have been lost, not merely to the fool's mission of the contemporary moment but to all those battles – noble and ignoble – that have claimed the sons and daughters of this and every land.

After the bloodiest and most divisive of America's wars, the poet Walt Whitman offered a dirge for two soldiers of the opposing armies -- Civil War veterans, buried side by side. His poem is an apt reminder that, when the fighting is done, those who warred against one another often find themselves in the same place. It is appropriate that we should garland each grave, understanding on this day above all others that wars are conceived by presidents and prime ministers, not soldiers.

I've been watching several old Band of Brothers episodes on The History Channel and indeed I'll think long and hard on sacrifices on this Memorial Day. Peace ... or War!