Peace on Earth: Christmas in the Trenches

John McCutcheon: Christmas in the Trenches

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When I saw the announcement of this week’s theme, I knew immediately that I had to post this.

1914 was the first year of what we now call World War I. By year’s end, a series of trenches had been dug to mark the battle lines. These were crude affairs which turned to mud and threatened to collapse in bad weather. Horrifying new weapons were being used by men on each other, and each side had a propaganda machine which mostly succeeded in demonizing the enemy.

In spite of all of this, on Christmas Eve, 1914, the enemies who faced each other as mortal foes suddenly, for a brief moment, became simply men again. Recalling their humanity, they put down their weapons, and began first to speak to each other in shouts across no-man’s land, and then to sing Christmas carols. Soon, cautiously, some men from each side began to climb out of their trenches and meet each other. For the remainder of that day, the impromptu truce lasted, and the men were just men, sharing a small slice of time. Soon enough, commanders on both sides learned what had happened, and the men had to become enemies again as the war resumed.

This all sounds like some unbelievable TV Christmas special. But it really happened. And John McCutcheon has captured the story perfectly.

Civics Lessons: Our Flag Was Still There

John McCutcheon: Our Flag Was Still There

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When I first heard the word “patriotism”, I thought it was a negative emotion. I saw bumper stickers displaying the American flag alongside the words “America, love it or leave it” and recognized the anger and hostility to dissent that were being displayed. “Patriots”, I learned from this, were intolerant people who demanded that those who did not think as they did deserved to be denied their rights as Americans.

But this, of course is not what patriotism truly means. We live in a country which was founded as the result of a revolution; without dissent, the United States could not exist. The founding fathers wrote into the bill of rights that every American should continually question the actions of our government, and speak out freely when those actions are wrong. Protesting against the Vietnam War, my first act of dissent, was also my first act of patriotism, although I did not make that connection until years later.

Nowadays, there are still many people who do not understand what being a patriot in America truly means. In our political campaigns, whether a candidate wears a flag pin in their lapel can be seen as more important than their dreams of how to lead our country. We still have leaders who try to say that questioning their decisions is somehow “unpatriotic”.

“Our Flag Was Still There” was inspired by an essay by author Barbara Kingsolver, who also collaborated with John McCutcheon on the lyrics. I’m glad there are people like this around to remind us all of the true meaning of patriotism.