Remembering the fallen of past wars

It took war to gain our independence as a country.  Since 1776 we have been in many wars and had many casualties. In the early 20th century grand civic spaces became fashionable in cities.  Engineer Harland Bartholomew headed up St. Louis’ planning efforts from 1916-1950.

His name is on the cornerstone of Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, which was laid on November 11, 1936. The memorial was built to remember those who gave their lives during World War I (1914-1919).  From the Soldiers’ Memorial website:

Under the leadership of Mayor Bernard F. Dickmann, and with some funds coming from the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (Project No. 5098), the construction of the building, development of the memorial plaza, and improvements to the parks began on October 21, 1935 and the memorial and museum officially opened on Memorial Day, May 30, 1938.

So many years after the fact.

To the south is the memorial for those who died in WWII.

The Court of Honors was dedicated in 1948 — not long after the end of the war.  This new memorial was a sunken open garden rather than a formal & elevated building.  I find it fascinating that in a dozen years the idea of a memorial changed so much.  Or perhaps many still remembered the construction of the building across the street and they viewed the new garden as a compliment.

Later additions were made in the center to honor those from the Korean (1950-1953) and Vietnam (1955-1975) wars.  Of course our involvement in wars didn’t end in 1975. Have we continued wars but not memorials? What about Desert Storm (8/1990 – 2/1991 ), Enduring Freedom (2001-2002) and the Iraq War (2003-present)?  Who knows, perhaps something has been added to this area regarding Desert Storm?

It just feels like, as a society, we’ve become so detached from war and the resulting deaths.  Last week marked 17 years since my oldest brother’s retirement from the U.S. Navy after serving 24 years.  Yes, I was only two when he enlisted. On Independence Day four years ago I ran a commentary from my brother, here is an excerpt:

We often take our freedoms for granted. The overused expression “Freedom is not free,” is certainly applicable today. Neither of my daughters, neither of my brothers and only one of my sons-in-law ever served in the military and I believe that they missed out on some priceless life lessons. While it is held that people who do not vote do not have credibility to criticize our politicians, I believe that serving in the military or some type of public service is another fundamental role of being an American. We all seem to enjoy our freedoms and demand that our worldwide interests be protected. The difficulty arises when we relegate these tasks to those who most Americans, especially the privileged, view as incapable of doing anything else with their lives.

As an openly gay man I wouldn’t have had the same experience as my straight brother. Because I did not serve I do feel indebted to him and all the other who have served or are serving currently. While I’m not a fan of war, I do favor remembering those who come back — both alive and dead.  I hope that as this area of the Gateway Mall evolves we can make it more than just a big place for festivals.

– Steve Patterson