At moments of particular violence and warfare, Americans intone, “We are a peace-loving nation, however…” and there is always a however, for in America, violence and militarism are deeply embedded in our culture and national psyche. Guns are such a part of who we are that for some people, to challenge the need for a gun is to challenge America itself. Guns and other machines of war are so commonplace that we hardly notice them. But how strange and perverse it is to honor our fallen by placing the very device of their demise on permanent display.