Learn from history during wartime

We need in wartime to ask the question, Why? This is the month we celebrate Veterans Day. As a veteran of World War II, I recently read two articles that stirred up past memories. If you are interested in poetry or if you are a student of peace and war you probably will remember the poem, by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Both articles quoted part of the poem “Charge of the Light Brigade”: “Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them.”

But what surprised me was that the best part of the poem was left out in both articles: “Someone had blundered: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die: Into the valley of death rode the six hundred.”

The second article I read went into detail. Some general far away gave the order to charge. The captain in charge of the 600 saw Russians soldiers lined up on both sides of the canyon. He was given the order to charge, and he did. “Into the valley of death rode the six hundred.”

I hear from some military leaders that today this would not happen, for the captain on the front lines could change a misdirected order. I hope our military and government leaders will read this poem. It was composed after the Russians had defeated the English in war, in the 18th century.

Bob Pendleton

Elk Grove Village