It’s rather strange when you stop to think about it. Just
a stone’s throw away from UCLA there are thousands and
thousands of bodies buried beneath the ground. Uniform white
tombstones rather unceremoniously mark the graves of U.S.
veterans.
The street is called Veteran, after all, for a reason.
Dedicated in 1889, the Los Angeles National Cemetery is the
burial site for American soldiers of nearly every war of the past
century, including both world wars, Korea, Vietnam and more. Neat
rows of tombstones run parallel for as long as the eye can see.
Large grass fields await the fallen soldiers of the inevitable
next war. For if there is one certainty, it is the continued folly
and subsequent bloodshed of all people.
I wonder how often we students, and all humanity for that
matter, stop to think about the great sacrifices of our veterans. A
bit of reflection is the least we can do. Though they are buried
just meters from our homes, their lives and sacrifices are all too
often forgotten.
Surely this cannot be good for us.
How much can we truly value the living if we don’t
remember the dead? We stand, as the saying goes, on the shoulders
of giants, and it would do us well to recognize this fact.
Otherwise, history’s worst moments will surely be
relived.
The lack of proper reverence is indicative of a culture of
entitlement that has permeated U.S. society. The corrosive effects
of this trend are weakening our nation from within.
The freedoms which we enjoy today were not handed to us on a
silver platter, but earned by those men and women buried beside us.
Their blood and tears forged our liberty. They paid the ultimate
price for America and its ideals.
There are two stark dichotomies regarding our Westwood cemetery.
First, there is the graveyard’s eerie silence juxtaposed with
the feverish whirl of the 405 Freeway. Cars whiz by with nary a
thought of the hallowed ground which they pass.
Second, the cemetery sits adjacent to our vibrant and youthful
UCLA community. We feel exuberant and invincible despite the
sobering reminder of the graveyard beside us. The contrast is
disturbing.
How best shall we remember those who have forged this great
country? A fine start would be the occasional visit to our local
veterans cemetery.
UCLA should also sound a one-minute bell, once a year, to
commemorate the lives of those who fought and died in war. The
sound will penetrate the ground beneath which our finest are
buried.
These tones will be a potent reminder to students of the
sacrifice it took to allow the freedoms we cherish to flourish. If
the bells of Powell Library can chime every hour of every day, then
surely they can sound for one minute to remember the veterans
buried beside us.
In a sense, UCLA is lucky to sit next to a veterans cemetery, as
it ensures that we maintain a tinge of perspective on life.
How can we possibly get carried away with an extra paper
assignment or a bad grade? Does it not pale in comparison to the
struggles of the fallen heroes beside us? It takes some gall to
fret over frivolous annoyances in the face of the tribulations our
soldiers.
An occasional History Channel special marking the anniversary of
some distant American war is not sufficient to memorialize our
veterans. To walk even briefly down the corridors of the brave in
the Los Angeles National Cemetery all but shatters that vapid sense
of entitlement currently enmeshing America.
For the honor of our soldiers, for the dignity of our country,
it is incumbent upon every man, woman and child to pay tribute to
the great sacrifices of our veterans of war.
Keyes is a third-year Middle Eastern studies student. E-mail
him at dkeyes@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to
viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.