Memorial Day
May 29, 2023 18:16:15 #
Read this and thought it worth sharing.
Legends of America Newsletter - May 2023
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (It is sweet and proper to die for one's country.)
Before the Great War, these Latin words, by the Roman poet Horace in 1st Century BC, evoked deep emotion and patriotism. You can still find the phrase carved in stone on monuments and in national cemeteries worldwide.
For Americans in the 19th Century, those words held prideful memories of friends and loved ones who died for our country, in our country. From the Revolution to the Spanish American War, between 1774 and 1899, over 800,000 American citizens died in battle. Most of them saving the Nation from ourselves.
By 1900, the phrase evolved to a more cautious and optimistic toast to the new Century.
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, sed dulcius pro patria vivere, et dulcissimum pro patria bibere. Ergo, bibamus pro salute patriae. (It is sweet and fair to die for one's country, but sweeter to live for one's country, and to drink the sweetest for one's country. Therefore, let us drink for the safety of the country.)
In 1921, on the heels of World War I, the poem Dulce et Decorum est, written by English soldier and poet Wilfred Owen who died in battle, was published posthumously. The poem describes and condemns the horrors of war, giving vivid imagery describing a chlorine gas attack on his unit. He ends the poem with:
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Describing the often-used Latin phrase as "The old Lie," Owen touched on the sentiment of many who decried what they saw as war propaganda. Still, plenty of patriots held true to the intent when our nation was attacked in 1941, bringing us into the second world war. Since 1900, over 620,000 more Americans have perished in War. With the military draft of yesteryear, it's safe to assume not all those held that death was sweet and proper. But many did. And laid down their lives in honor of Country.
What would our Nation be without those who still give credence to those words, "It is sweet and proper to die for one's country"? Men and women, who have paid the ultimate price to serve, gave our nation the honor of being a world power, a beacon of freedom and hope. If not for those actively willing to trade their lives in the pursuit of freedom, would we have the facility to toast the safety of the country?
Take time this Memorial Day to truly appreciate these American heroes. If not for their sacrifice, I could be writing this newsletter in German. (Keine Beleidigung für unsere deutschen Freunde)
With profound gratitude,
Dave & Kathy
Legends of America Newsletter - May 2023
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (It is sweet and proper to die for one's country.)
Before the Great War, these Latin words, by the Roman poet Horace in 1st Century BC, evoked deep emotion and patriotism. You can still find the phrase carved in stone on monuments and in national cemeteries worldwide.
For Americans in the 19th Century, those words held prideful memories of friends and loved ones who died for our country, in our country. From the Revolution to the Spanish American War, between 1774 and 1899, over 800,000 American citizens died in battle. Most of them saving the Nation from ourselves.
By 1900, the phrase evolved to a more cautious and optimistic toast to the new Century.
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, sed dulcius pro patria vivere, et dulcissimum pro patria bibere. Ergo, bibamus pro salute patriae. (It is sweet and fair to die for one's country, but sweeter to live for one's country, and to drink the sweetest for one's country. Therefore, let us drink for the safety of the country.)
In 1921, on the heels of World War I, the poem Dulce et Decorum est, written by English soldier and poet Wilfred Owen who died in battle, was published posthumously. The poem describes and condemns the horrors of war, giving vivid imagery describing a chlorine gas attack on his unit. He ends the poem with:
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Describing the often-used Latin phrase as "The old Lie," Owen touched on the sentiment of many who decried what they saw as war propaganda. Still, plenty of patriots held true to the intent when our nation was attacked in 1941, bringing us into the second world war. Since 1900, over 620,000 more Americans have perished in War. With the military draft of yesteryear, it's safe to assume not all those held that death was sweet and proper. But many did. And laid down their lives in honor of Country.
What would our Nation be without those who still give credence to those words, "It is sweet and proper to die for one's country"? Men and women, who have paid the ultimate price to serve, gave our nation the honor of being a world power, a beacon of freedom and hope. If not for those actively willing to trade their lives in the pursuit of freedom, would we have the facility to toast the safety of the country?
Take time this Memorial Day to truly appreciate these American heroes. If not for their sacrifice, I could be writing this newsletter in German. (Keine Beleidigung für unsere deutschen Freunde)
With profound gratitude,
Dave & Kathy
May 29, 2023 18:36:10 #
HosChap wrote:
Read this and thought it worth sharing. br br Leg... (show quote)
Nicely said Dave, and those staggering #'s of those that perished we all too often forget about.
Nice touch saying: No insult to our German friends.
May 29, 2023 22:08:25 #
HosChap wrote:
Read this and thought it worth sharing. br br Leg... (show quote)
Excellent post, Dave. Thank you for sharing. 🙏🏻
May 30, 2023 15:18:51 #
Herbert Hoover said "Old men declare war. But it is young men that must fight and die".
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