Among the non-clergy saints whose feast day is today are St Maurice and St Demetrius. Both men are said to have been soldiers in the Roman army and murdered by the authorities on account of their Christianity. St Maurice commanded an entire legion of Christians who refused to recant and who were all executed. So Maurice is known as "St Maurice and his companions".
Demetrius was killed by being stuck with multiple spears. His kerchief and ring were used by his servant to perform miracles after his death, and he appeared to sick people in their dreams and instructed them on how to be healed. He was a patron saint of the Crusades along with St George and is often pictured mounted and poking a dragon with a spear or lance like St George. In the icon museum in Bardejov, Slovakia, I was hard pressed to tell apart the icons of George and Demetrius (Michael was also similar in motif).
2000 American soldiers and possibly more have already been killed in the Iraq misadventure. GW Bush has tried to characterize them as martyrs to democracy in the Middle East and has said that to honor them we must consign even more young men and women to their deaths in his pet project. Even in death, GW Bush dishonors them and misuses them. Sadly, they are martyrs to Bush's lust for power. In a better world, their deaths would be lessons of what damage evil men in power can do, and we would pledge to make sure that not a single drop of blood would be shed in vain in the future in such adventures. We must never again concede such power to any man.
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