Recognizing History...

 In a rural Utah town a banner hangs in the city's rec center listing the name of all county citizens who served in America's wars. We searched for a familiar name, and under the World War 1 list, we found it.

My wife's grandfather.

The man survived. In fact, based on the family stories, he was drafted and was sent, but returned because the war had ended. Still...his name is listed with hundreds/thousands of others, names of those who served in World War 1, World War 2, Korea, Vietnam, and all the wars since.

They raised kids differently back then, back when victory meant superior numbers, number of soldiers, number of guns, planes, tanks, ships, bullets. Families sent their children to war. They felt they owed the country back for all the things the country gave to them. Now, a fraction of soldiers fight wars, the winner is determined by who has the best tech. I doubt many families would react to a war the same way now as the country did for both world wars, and all the rest. 

The lists give us the names, but do not tell us who they were, who they left behind, what they saw and did. For that information, we rely on family histories, journals, photographs. Only they can tell us what happened to them.

Of all the names, some returned, others did not...

But all served. It's important to remember the names, because from the list containing my wife's grandfather, none of them are left.