Memorial Day
Wikipedia states:
“Memorial Day (or less commonly called Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering and honoring people who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The holiday is observed on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day was previously observed on May 30 from 1868 to 1971.
Memorial Day is considered the unofficial start of the summer vacation season in the United States, while Labor Day marks its end on the first Monday of September.
Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day, particularly to honor those who died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.
Two other days celebrate those who serve or have served in the U.S. military: Veterans Day, which celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans; and Armed Forces Day, a minor U.S. remembrance celebrated earlier in May, specifically honoring those currently serving in the U.S. military.
In 2019, Memorial Day falls on May 27, 2019.”
I don’t know how you feel about this holiday, but it has always been a serious, touching one for me. In just thinking of it recalls all those who have died to allow me to be sitting right here in a free country.
Yes, it is the unofficial start of summer and with that comes the attendant cook-outs, trips to the lake, often fireworks, and always the conviviality of being with friends and loved ones.
Truthfully, I always feel a little guilty for honors and freedoms bestowed upon me for which I never worked or suffered. I take the gifts, though, and try to be worthy.
I think of faraway places like the Marne, Verdun, Pearl Harbor, Midway, the Hürtgen Forest, Normandy, Inchon, Chosin Reservoir, Khe Sanh, Saigon, and so on into the list of conflicts that will inevitably continue to build.
I wonder what it was like to be afraid or anxious, but having to head into battle anyway. I wonder if I would have been a hero—could I have just sacrificed myself without a thought, could I have done it without hesitation? Would I have been thinking of my home, my spouse, my children? It is a sobering scenario, but I feel we should all just walk through it once in a while to REMEMBER those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Some say our country is corrupt, failing, and I see some of that. I would have to be an ostrich to not be bombarded by the dissensions, and schisms we all face today. But I always hark back to what I hold true—that man is inherently good.
I have seen it often. Let a catastrophe befall a friend, a neighbor, our nation, and there they are—the good guys, the men and women who step in to help and soothe, and support the downtrodden or defenseless.
I am fortunate to have friends who are good guys, neighbors who like where they live and the people they live with. I attend a church with decent people, who would be decent even if they had never shown up to our church--for they were raised that way. I lived in a town and a time that was idyllic in a way, and it has shaped my hopefulness, even in the face of problems in our citizenry, local and nationwide.
I refuse to tarnish what others have fought for, and try to make myself ready for every opportunity to be a good guy (or gal.)
So, go to the lake, cook out, have fun. You all work hard and deserve it. But do take a minute today at 3 o’clock to pause and remember what today is all about. To quote from Wikipedia once more:
The National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress, asks Americans, wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, to pause in an act of national unity for a duration of one minute. The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather, it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died in service to the United States.