This morning on television, there was a short segment about the oldest living veteran from World War I, Frank Woodruff Buckles, who is now 107 years old. The news commentator noted that the early twentieth century war appears to have been little understood, and is not even celebrated with any specific memorial.
World War I pillow cover “Lady Liberty” – photo courtesy of “jbftaylor,” on eBay
At the time of the war, there seems to have been fervor for it, particularly in the patriotic pillow covers such as the one seen above. Textiles always tell us a lot about the times in which they were made.
I would just like to take a moment to salute all those who have served in the military. Some of them even reinvented their birth dates so that they would be eligible to join in the fight, earlier than they should have been involved. That includes my own (late) uncle who joined the U.S. Army at seventeen and fought in all seven major battles of World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge.
When any war is over, the country seems to want to forget it; to just erase it from the collective memory bank. That has appeared to be true of WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Desert Storm. No doubt that will hold true for the current war in Iraq.
Yet, for the veterans who serve in any given war, it is perhaps the most important, most life-changing event they will have ever faced. We probably would not realize the extent of emotionalism, and memory, still left in the survivors of war, both soldier and civilian.
Now, if we could just quit avoiding the discussion of war in history books for children, there might be a chance that the younger generation could take a few lessons from the past and have the cultural literacy to all of this into context. In the meantime, the soldier survivors who continue to make headlines, as well as the extant textiles from all wars, will have to serve as a reminder of the human sacrifice, devotion, and dedication to country that is demanded in time of war.
Patricia Cummings
