A calm wind cast itself over the afternoon sky as beams of golden sunlight glistened through the trees. It was almost as if Mother Nature herself was paying deference to the imprisoned and missing soldiers.
This was the day of the fifth annual POW-MIA Vigil conducted by the University ROTC of the Army, Navy and Air Force units. The 24-hour memorial is held every year on the Monday after the national POW-MIA Recognition Day on Sept. 15 and recognizes soldiers who are either prisoners of war or missing in action. During the event, soldiers, working in pairs on one-hour shifts, march across the stage to show respect for their fallen comrades.
"These soldiers haven't returned home," Air Force cadet Lindsey Randlett said. "That's the highest sacrifice they could make for their country. ... This event brings awareness."
Cadet Wing commander Dan Langan added, "In the end, it's a little part of the big picture, but it's what connects us to the big picture. It reminds us of our responsibilities as officers."
Although the event is usually a somber one, only a year ago this tranquil, reverent scene more resembled a skit from "The Daily Show" than a memorial service. Last year, a traveling political group, the Missile Dick Chicks, conducted an anti-war protest during the vigil. Wearing loud outfits and enlarged strap-on phalluses, the housewives, who hail from President Bush's hometown of Crawford, Texas, caused quite a stir as they sang satirical renditions of popular songs criticizing the Iraq War.
"It was a very ignorant public display," Air Force Maj. George S. Dowdy said. "These people have fought and died for our country. If people want to hold protests, they should hold them in Washington where our civilian leadership resides. We are trying to honor those that have served our country. Such demonstrations are a disappointment."
While the Missile Dick Chicks were simply exercising their First Amendment rights, their demonstrations do beg the question: When does free speech stop being appropriate and start becoming downright disrespectful?
Some may argue the expression of free speech is never inappropriate because it is a right afforded to us by the U.S. Constitution. As Frederick Douglass, the famous American abolitionist once said, "Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist."
Others may argue there is a time and place for everything. After all, as former Vice President Hubert Humphrey quipped, "The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously."
No matter which side one takes, both may agree that protests are performed for one reason only -- to shock and awe. From burning bras and military draft cards to strapping on a piece, protestors justify their extreme measures by claiming they are trying to send an important message.
Ironically, sometimes it is at the most inappropriate time that they believe will have the greatest impact.
Whatever the case may be, it is the Constitutional right of the University ROTC to hold a vigil in the Amphitheater to express their sentiments about fallen soldiers in war. Interestingly enough, it is this same right that gives the Missile Dick Chicks and all protest groups alike the right to assemble and express their opinions in most public spaces whenever and wherever they please.
Although both groups feel they are fighting in opposition to one another, they are actually both espousing a very similar idea: freedom. Whether it's the freedom to revere those who have died in war or the freedom to protest why we should not have gone to war in the first place, it is still freedom -- a right afforded to all people no matter their message.
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