The Number Twenty-Seven

Twenty-Seven. The number might seem ordinary to most people, but at my high school, it bears great meaning and significance. Father Judge High School lost 27 graduates in the Vietnam War, more than any other private or parochial school in the country. It was something that was very sad for many in my school community, but it was also something that we were proud about. Years later, we still honor those 27 men with a memorial mass. We mediated on war, especially the war in Iraq, and listened to family members of the fallen 27. It was really moving to hear about how these adolescent men, with so much to offer to the world, were killed in their prime. One thing a father of one the deceased really angered me. He described how no one really honored or stood by the soldiers back when we were in the Vietnam War. He remembered that his son’s friends came home to be rejected and despised, and he was sad while his son laid his life down for his country, and thousands of others risked theirs, no one at home really appreciated it. He was glad that the school was honoring their memory that day.

It truly is amazing how things and people can change over time. Just over 35 years ago, people were against the war and the soldiers who fought in it. Once they returned home, soldiers were disrespected for their service. It’s a lot different, in my opinion, nowadays. Soldiers have the respect of many Americans, even if they feel that the war is wrong. Even after the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib was exposed, the support for the soldiers by the American people did not seem to waiver. I know that the 27, who lost their lives many years ago, would be glad to know that people care about the soldiers who are risking their lives for their country every day. Unfortunately, while Americans still sow their support, I feel that they aren’t receiving the correct information from the media, who seems to be biased to support political interests and financial gain rather than troops. If the American people continue to receive skewed and biased information, then who knows how much longer the troops will have the support of the American public.