I don't know about you, but ...

... watching Joe Biden (or any official/politician) standing at attention - looking grim/serious/meaningful - during a wreath-laying ceremony leaves me beyond cold.  It's just one more thing on a schedule, one more agenda item.

How about this; how about if all future TV commercials for the military services dispense with rifle twirling and marching in pretty uniforms and, instead, focus on mud and blood and pain and death - and killing of others by those sought to be recruited.  How about if all future dead soldiers, marines, seamen, seawomen, airwomen, airmen are referred to as "killed" or "murdered" or "pointlessly lost their lives" rather than the sickeningly sweet, syrupy "fallen," as though they lay down and took a snooze in a meadow - or, at worst, had a painless, instantaneous death.

Let's honor our service people by not sending them into pointless wars, wars in which they cannot succeed, wars with people and countries with whom we have no quarrel, or in situations in which we have no stake, or can do no good.  Let's honor people, rather than pretend to honor them, or only honor them after we - this is all done in OUR NAMES - have killed them.