Louis de Cazenave passed away yesterday at the age of 110. Other than to his family, that’s news because it leaves only one more living veteran of the French army that fought in World War I.
More than 8 million soldiers were mobilized by the French during the war. One and a half million were killed and four and a half million were wounded. That doesn’t count the millions in Germany, the UK and Russia that were also wounded or killed.
An entire generation of young men was wiped out, opening a century in which more people were killed in war than all the other centuries combined. It was a pivotal point in history. In a single battle more than one million people were killed. Britain’s 100-year-old effort to enforce peace in the world ended, it enabled Marxists to take over Russia setting the stage for the Cold War, and the way the war ended directly led to World War II. The war was the birth pangs of the world we live in today.
Now there is only one person still living, among the French anyway, who participated. And, other than an occasional show on the History Channel or an anecdote about Veteran’s Day few of us think of World War I very often.
It reminds me of the river of time that we are a part of. All of history led us to this point. The actions and reactions of those who came before decided for us what our lives were to be. Yet for most of us, very understandably, there is rarely is any time more important than our own.
We need to remember and understand the past so we can understand our world. We also need to remember the down stream. As we make decisions about the world of the future we need to very clearly keep in mind those who will be alive when there is only one of us left.
And not just on a national level. This isn’t just a question for presidents. What is directly downstream from you? The lives of children you touch, the others you influence, the creations you leave behind will all help set the course of the river. To live a life worthy of the calling you’ve received it is important to remember the down stream.
Tags: World War I
