Why Dien Bien Phu Still Matters

Well, loyal listeners, Do U remember exactly where U were -

* October 4, 1957 (USSR launch of first earth satellite);

* October 29, 1956 (Brits and French seize Suez Canal);

* May 8, 1954 (French army surrenders at Dien Bien Phu);

* June 19, 1949 (Your humble blogger born).

Subsequent Posts will examine how the World has been changed, some say saved, by three of these events. As the title above implies, we now return to the winter and spring of 1954, when thousands of doomed french army volunteers parachuted into the equivalent of Little Big Horn, many after their Custer-like fate had been sealed and THEY KNEW IT. (An aside, I have always been struck by the lyrical ring of the place's name, and in researching this Post I learned that its is not merely a translation of the Vietnamese, it means "Big Frontier Administrative Center", Weekly Standard Cover Article, 9/13/10, pg. 22. Kinda takes away some of the magic, indeed).

Whatever; the Question remains - why exactly does Dien Bien Phu matter, more than a half century later?

It does because, as does Khe Sanh, Mogidishu and Anbar Province, western civilization must honor and never forget the "Glorious Dead", those warriors who gladly gave their last full measure of devotion to the Idea of personal liberty and national freedom.

As the beneficiaries of these sacrifices - thousands of french heroes perished at the "BFAC" - we civilians are constantly urged from their long lost graves to make their deaths not to have been in vain.

All they ask is that we participate fully in the benefits and solemn obligations of republican government - not to bestow the consent of the governed passively by our silence. Accordingly, please let your Voice be Heard in the public square between today and Election Day 2010.