November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States. It is a day to honor and to remember.
As President Obama wrote in his proclamation of the day:
As a grateful Nation, we are humbled by the sacrifices rendered by our service members and their families out of the deepest sense of service and love of country. On Veterans Day, let us remember our solemn obligations to our veterans, and recommit to upholding the enduring principles that our country lives for, and that our fellow citizens have fought and died for.
Of the 26 million living veterans, more than 3 million live with a permanently disabling condition. This includes 53,000 disabled veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
War is a terrible consequence of sin. Sometimes evil leaders and evil movements must be confronted by military force, which means that people will be killed and disabled and displaced. And God is sovereign over war, and the results of war.
Thankfully, someday war will no longer be an issue, because Jesus will assert his authority and power over those who war against him:
They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful. Revelation 17:14
And after all that has been accomplished, God will establish the new heavens and the new earth for those he has chosen and called:
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Revelation 21:3-7
The Works of God 
Wait a minute. While I appreciate the great suffering that has come about by war, and the immense pain that veterans have experienced – why do we so quickly assume that war is necessary? We say it is our ‘duty’ to go to war. Who are we worshipping? Did not Jesus, who suffered and died at the hands of his enemies – say to us “love your enemies”? Did he not say to us ‘pick up your cross.’ (not your gun) How I ask, can we love our enemies by killing them? To whom do we owe our allegiance? I struggle to imagine how we can follow Christ by choosing to go to war. And when speaking of ‘evil leaders’, let us remember that “delineating between good and evil….is never as black and white as our leaders, news reports, ceremonies, textbooks and official histories remember.” (Jock Williams)
It is time to set aside simplistic talk of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ guys. Alexander Solzhenisten once said, “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through every human heart, and through all human hearts.”
http://ottawa.mcc.org/stories/news/good-guysbad-guys
No, to remember is to work for peace. Knowing the horrors of war should propel us to work for peace. This is not a passive activity – it means being ready to lay down our lives for others. Because extraordinary things happen when people find creative ways to do this!! There is an alternative way to respond to the evil in this world and I believe that Jesus showed us what that is.