There was a federal holiday — arguably the most important one — just three days ago. Some Cornell students only recognized this because Nov. 12 was no ordinary Monday. Simma Reingold ’08 summed it up pretty well: “Of course I knew it was a holiday — we didn’t get any mail.” But sadly, many Cornell students were unaware that Veterans Day occurred this past weekend.
And one cannot blame them; the University administration also seemed unaware of the occasion. There was no campus-wide observance of Veterans Day; no forum discussing the history behind Veterans Day or the contributions that our fighting men and women have made to this country; no ceremony paying homage to fallen Cornell soldiers of past conflicts; no service honoring the alumni defending us overseas now; no Sun coverage about the Veterans Day ceremonies in Ithaca except a few photos. There was nothing.
It is appalling that Cornell did less than nothing to observe Veterans Day; unfortunately, we could have done worse. Neglecting to recognize the sacrifices of our veterans is not as disrespectful as purposely misrepresenting the holiday.
And that is just what Rolf Hanson, a fourth grade elementary school teacher, attempted to do last week. Bay Haven Elementary School in Sarasota, Fl. decided to commemorate Veterans Day by allowing classes to make banners honoring American veterans. While most teachers had their students create banners recognizing veterans from specific wars or military branches, Hanson took a much different approach. He decided that the best way to celebrate Veterans Day would be to make a banner paying homage to conscientious objectors, rather than combat veterans.
Conscientious objectors have been around as long as there has been a draft and many have served this country with honor. Corporal Alvin York, most widely recognized from the biographical film Sergeant York, was a conscientious objector — before he won the Medal of Honor for personally killing and capturing some 150 Germans, while securing the German Decauville rail line on Oct. 8, 1918. Conscientious objectors like Sergeant York deserve just as much recognition as any other veteran for their service.
A distinction, however, must be drawn between conscientious objectors and pacifists. Conscientious objectors, dating all the way back to the First World War when Woodrow Wilson first instituted conscription, fulfilled their duty as soldiers in non-combat roles by becoming medics or tending to wounded comrades in other ways. These men and women served the war effort and demonstrated their patriotism in this way.
Pacifists, on the other hand, choose not to contribute to the war effort. Honoring this section of the population — draft dodgers, part time Canadian citizens and their ilk — is antithetical to the true meaning of Veterans Day, which, believe it or not, is to honor those that have served in our nation’s military; to pay tribute to those that have risked and sacrificed their lives to safeguard our freedom from foreign enemies.
If anything, these pacifists use their C.O. status to undermine America’s war-making efforts. Muhammad Ali was a conscientious objector; but not in the mold of Sergeant York. Rather than fulfilling his obligation to serve in our nation’s army, Ali refused to join the military, under any circumstances. Using his most patriotic voice, Ali said, “War is against the teachings of the holy Koran. I’m not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don’t take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers,” before famously proclaiming, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong.”
Ali invoked the same call for conscientious objector status as hundreds of Americans had before him. Unlike soldiers like Alvin York, however, Ali refused to serve his country in any capacity, even as a non-combatant. Ali embodied the poisonous rhetoric of pacifism; his attitude reflected anti-Americanism, not conscientious objection to violent conflict.
It is a safe assumption that the good teacher Mr. Hanson probably did not have veterans like Alvin York in mind when he told his class they would be honoring conscientious observers. Like any good educrat, Rolf Hanson was using the classroom as his soapbox; Veterans Day was just another opportunity to indoctrinate 10 year-olds. Veterans Day is supposed to remind our citizens that freedom isn’t free; its survival depends on the sacrifices that the men and women in our military make. Mr. Hanson wants to teach his students that not only is freedom a free ride, but that there is bravery and honor in refusing to serve in its defense.
Equating the sacrifices of pacifists and conscientious objectors — “I had to live in Canada for a whole decade!” — with those of our men and women in the military is the ultimate insult to our veterans. Veterans actually defend our freedom; pacifists merely enjoy it. Celebrating pacifists on Veterans Day is about as logical as honoring flag burners on June 14 or ex-wives on Valentine’s Day.
Perhaps a separate day of remembrance could be set aside on the calendar to recall the sacrifices of stateside or Canada-bound pacifists. I am open to the idea so long as its creation follows the rubric laid out by one military blogger: “the most appropriate day for this would be February 30 of each year.”
Until then, why don’t we stick to the true meaning of Veterans Day and pay homage to those who defended this country and our freedom. Nov. 11 is about men and women like Alvin York, not Muhammad Ali.
Bill McMorris is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be contacted at bmcmorris@cornellsun.com [1]. Heartless, Not Stupid appears alternate Wednesdays.
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[1] mailto:bmcmorris@cornellsun.com