the gods of war

We see them in old movies when they were young and fighting for freedom, now we see them in veterans’ marches, adorned with medals. At cenotaphs around the world we worship at their altars. Marina’s gods of war are not mythical gods but real life men now well into their 80s and older who fought in WWII - and like to be compared with Olympian gods - and the war they fought in has achieved a reverence similar to that of a religion that previous and later wars never achieved.

“I attribute this religiosity surrounding WWII to the artful manipulation of those who fought in that war, in combat or behind a desk, whose coincidence of birth at a critical time in our history endowed them with spectacular opportunities after the war that they have milked non-stop ever since at our expense,” says Marina. “And, just like the early Christians used Jesus’ death to inspire guilt and line their pockets – he died for us, you see – the gods of war used the death of their fallen mates to do likewise.”

“The gods of war enjoyed unprecedented hero status and respect after WWII,” says Marina. “Their war films, veterans’ marches, war medals and endless stories about the war assured them respect and reverence that it is totally out of proportion to the achievements of earlier and later generations, as if WWII were the only war ever fought or the only war worth remembering.”

“My generation, the Boomers, held the WWII vets in awe, opened doors for them, offered seats for them, called them sir and m’am, never spoke out of turn to them and never questioned their right to the best of everything from our taxpayer dollars,” says Marina. “They deserved it – they fought for our freedoms – or so we were forever told!”

“Compared to the freedoms the gods of war had after the war – no censure on drugs or family size, no politically correct speaking or environmental restrictions – our lives are so circumscribed by their rules and regulations, far more than the simple Ten Commandments they grew up with, that I don’t feel very free at all.”

“WWII was an abomination caused by greedy old men and should not be revered,” says Marina, “and those who fought in it were pawns not gods and should be exposed as such before they wreak even more damage upon us.”