Martial Virtue: Promise and Peril



W.J. Astore






Martial virtue, in other words, is not an oxymoron.








2 thoughts on “Martial Virtue: Promise and Peril

  1. You are so right! I served in the Army Air corps from 1943-46 and never heard the word “hero” amongst the troops or from civilians. Most of us didn’t serve out of ‘patriotism’ but rather as a ‘necessity’ . What fell under ‘necessity’? Certainly not ‘patriotism’ but mundane things like if you were 18 and physically fit you were in the military, period. ( the draft) There existed a social stigma against young men if they weren’t in the military. No one at 18 wanted that, they were called “slackers”. Once in the military the troops only thought about when the war would end so they could get the hell out. “Regular army”soldiers ( those who had made a career of the military ) were ridiculed behind their back for accepting without question the restrictions on freedom of the military life. We did not feel ‘exceptional’ nor did we feel our country was exceptional , but we understood that the great armies we were fighting against were brutal and they were intent on destroying our civil society that we were comfortable with. We certainly were not on a ‘holy’ mission, it was just plain survival.

    When we came back we luxuriated in our new found ‘freedom’ and a beneficent government rewarded us with the GI bill which gave us the 52-20 Club, $20 a month for 52 weeks until we found a job or used another part of the Bill., We could then get $10,000 to buy a house, or $200 a month to get an education. It was that education that produced the young men who built our postwar economy.

    How sad we are to see what Prof. Astore describes as a country that uses the sacrifice of our youth in
    WW II to describe our generous country as “exceptional” and use that myth to destroy our economy, our world wide reputation, our freedoms., and launch perpetual wars to mislead our citizens with fear while we act like those we defeated sixty years ago. .

  2. Reblogged this on The Contrary Perspective and commented:

    “It’s A Wonderful Life,” the Frank Capra film starring Jimmy Stewart, is fascinating for many reasons. One of them is its celebration of citizens — ordinary guys who make a difference due to their generosity of spirit. Recall in that movie that Stewart’s brother won the Medal of Honor, yet the movie celebrates the “ordinary” achievements of Stewart. Yet today’s movies, such as “American Sniper,” are much more likely to celebrate the warrior. The decline of the citizen-soldier ideal in America; in fact, the decline of the citizen ideal in America, and the related rise of a cult of war heroes, speaks to the decline of America as a republic dedicated to freedom. Which put me to mind of this post I wrote in September 2013. It’s not a wonderful life when we embrace the “wonders” of war, nor is it wonderful when everything becomes a commodity to be consumed by customers. No. It’s a wonderful life when we act as a community with generosity of spirit. Frank Capra knew that. When will we as a country regain that vision? We need to, and soon.

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