That Veterans' Day-Themed Post

's) we proceeded in search of a little water for personal use. B. speedily finished his abolutions. I was strolling carelessly and solo from the cook-wagon toward one of the two tents-- which protestingly broused some forty huddling Americans by night-- holding in my hand an historic marceau de chocolat, when a spick, not to say span, gentleman in a suspiciously quiet French uniform allowed himself to driven up to the bureau, by two neat soldiers with tin derbies, in a Renault whose painful cleanliness shamed my recent efforts. This must be a general at least, I thought, regretting the extremely undress character of my uniform, which uniform consisted of overalls and a cigarette.

Having furtively watched the gentleman slight and receive a ceremonious welcome from the chief and the aforesaid French lieutenant who accompanied the section for translatory reasons, I hastily betook myself to one of the tents, where I found B. engaged in dragging all his belongings into a central pile of frig'

Right about now, you're probably asking, "Huh? What is all this nonsensical gobbledygook I just read?" Well, actually, it's an excerpt from American existentialist poet e(dward).e(stlin). cummings' (1894-1962) autobiographical novel, The Enormous Room (1921). In this book, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, native and WWI veteran details his experience of having served in the army, being suspected of espionage, getting arrested, and being taken prisoner in a military detention camp-- Depot de Triage in La Ferte-Mace, Orne, Normandy, during the war. Cummings was also an ardent, outspoken pacifist-- a byproduct of his Unitarian upbringing. Upon The Enormous Room's publication, F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby (1925), said: "Of all the work by young men who have sprung up since 1920 one book survives-- The Enormous Room by e.e. cummings....Those few who cause books to live have not been able to endure the thought of its mortality." Fitzgerald was right on the money, and cummings is one of my all-time favorite writers.

And, yes, this brief discussion of cummings' life and work is a segway into the main point of this post-- today is Veterans' Day, an occasion on which we should honor those who have served or are serving in our armed forces. Of course, our president is currently in the process of deciding whether or not to send our brave young men and women in uniform to Afghanistan. Like Mr. Cummings, I have strong anti-war beliefs. I feel that the fact that President Obama is taking his time in making a decision is a good sign. I support our troops, and that is why I think it's time for them to leave the Middle East. My greatest, sincerest hope is that next year at this time we will be honoring our past and present service members in peacetime.