Requiem for Warriors
"Requiem for Warriors is a tribute to three of author Norman Weissman's high school classmates who died in a combat during World war II. Weissman, a Navy pilot during the war, portrays his friend's lives and deaths in the "good" war with remarkable fidelity to who they were as individuals and how and where they died, before shifting to a tale about how several generations of fictional warriors were affected by this war. These warriors German, French, and English--warriors for hire who sacrificed their souls fighting wars to protect the colonial interests of declining European powers against native populations seeking freedom in the aftermath of World War II and beyond. Weissman brings his considerable knowledge of history to the story of their struggle to find meaning, if not redemption, for their own horrific actions in the name of patriotism and ideologies that have led nations to self-destruction. What makes this story so compelling is that all of these warriors, including the "good guys," were guilty of crimes against humanity, prompted by beliefs justifying their inhumane actions. "Requiem" is about the pity of war, about how war corrupts a nation's values of right and wrong, "creating societies where conformity becomes a virtue, dissent a crime. Everyone, says one lover of a warrior from an enemy country "fights their own war. We are all warriors." The underlying question that haunts Weissman's tale is: "Can a good man do evil?" We are beginning to find an answer to this question as we begin to question the values of the very founders who uniquely defined the idea of America. Recognizing our own complicity in inhuman actions is vital to our survival as a moral and just society This is the admonition of History; it is the heart and soul of Weissman's Requiem."
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