To This There Is No End In "The Valley In The Shadow of Death"

One and the Oktopus would mournfully like to honor not just American military deaths but all people who are subjegated, bought, drafted, conscripted, and pressed economically into service. This also includes all the people who willingly join for nationalistic, idealistic notions or otherwise. To someone somewhere a terrorist is a freedom fighter and a liberator is nothing more than a warmonger and all causes are dualistic and just. From revolutions to defending homelands to colonialism to outright wrongful occupation there will be bloodshed over water, food, oil, hatred, ignorance, tyranny, religion, land, resources, and righteous indignation. This is for the combatants of the Crimean War, The Great War, The American Revolution, The War of Mexican Independance, WWII, The Civil Wars of All Nations, African Tribal Skirmishes, The Haiti Slave Revolt, The October Revolution, The Cold War and so many others. This is for Simon Bolivar, George Washington, Napolean, Trotsky and Lenin, Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, Crazy Horse, Dalliaire, Nat Turner, et al.

Those faceless infantrymen are always in my mind. They are not heroes nor villians. Only people.