My father in law died this year at the age of 96. Dick served in World War II and towards the end of his life his wartime experiences became more and more significant to him. Although he never saw combat, the significance of serving the country in an important war, perhaps the last war in which right and wrong were fairly clear, never left him and turned out to be one of his most cherished memories.
Since World War II, the righteousness of American involvement in war has not been so clear, and it can be argued that little has been accomplished despite the loss of lives and treasure. The Korean War ended in a stalemate. The 20-year involvement in Vietnam resulted in the loss of nearly 60,000 American lives and the ultimate reunification of Vietnam under Communist rule. I could go on, but we all know what happened after that.
The astrological chart of the U.S. features Mars, the planet of war, in Gemini and in the 7th house of open enemies. Mars in Gemini can be unfocused, without a clear objective. Mars in the 7th house defines itself through war, and there is always an enemy lurking about to be attacked. Sometimes, as now, that enemy is within and the country tears itself apart from inside.
My father in law loved wearing his WWII Veteran hat. Everywhere he went, people thanked him for his service. Veterans of more recent wars have not enjoyed this respect which I think we can attribute to the moral ambiguity of these wars. This is extremely unfortunate as it has placed a horrific burden on veterans. Although the number of homeless veterans has decreased, as of 2023 there were over 35,000 veterans without housing.
On this Memorial Day perhaps we can honor those who served by making a donation to an organization which will assist those who gave up so much for a cause they may or may not have believed in. I have chosen the Wounded Warrior Project which you can read more about here. This organization assists veterans to receive the help they need in order to reclaim their lives and has a 98% rating from Charity Navigator.
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