Today is the 199th anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore. We went down to Fort McHenry the birth place of our National Anthem and a key to our ability to defend Baltimore during this battle in the War of 1812. We went down with your grandparents and aunt and cousins.
It always helps to know what your forefathers had to endure and sacrifice to keep us free. We have a great opportunity living so close to such history. The National Park Services have done very well at the fort and created some moving tributes. We got to see demonstrations of canons and muskets and got a small glimpse of what war was like back then. This really struck me today for some reason.
For a moment I could be transformed back to the fort. I could hear the tremendous canons booming and imagine bombs bursting above my head raining down shrapnel. I could imagine holding a line, shoulder to shoulder with my brothers in arms, armed with a musket and only relying on our courage and our beliefs to make up for that weapons inaccuracies. For a moment I realized how horrific war must be. Then the presenter said something that made it worse. He compared how inefficient these weapons being shown were compared to modern day weapons. My heart sank thinking of all the war after that war and all the war that still might come. When will we learn?
I think every politician should be required to go once a month to one our nation's monuments for our brave and for our fallen and for our dead. They should go not to instill a sense of rah-rah nationalism, but to go and hear the whispers of the ghosts that lived through the horrors of war. They should go and remind themselves of the sacrifices of the past. Those who sacrificed before did so for a very clear and lofty reason, the defense of freedom. If the cause du jour is of lesser merit, perhaps the true American spirit will touch their heart and influence their decisions.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
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