Remember

THE TRUTH IS… I wondered on Friday how I would feel on Tuesday. My concern was how I would actually feel about the meaning of this weekend holiday. Would my thoughts turn to a new workweek and the rat race as we once called it? Am I like so many other Americans who simply go through the ritual of observance of a holiday and then block it from the mind? I observed others over the weekend, not asking questions, but just listening to their banter about what this holiday was all about. Start of summer. School is almost out. BBQ, beer and a good time down at the lake.

THE TRUTH IS…. As I reflected, I wondered how many of us still remember what this past weekend was all about. Yes, it is called Memorial Day and we remember those brave and valiant soldiers who fought and died for our freedom. Then Tuesday rolls around and it becomes business as usual. Unless of course there is cause for one to Memorialize everyday for the rest of your life.

THE TRUTH IS… We have engaged in many wars to establish and preserve our freedom and way of life. There are no survivors to mourn from the Revolutionary War. Civil War or WW I.

THE TRUTH IS… I watched the dedication of the World War II Memorial on television Saturday. A magnificent memorial to the men and women of that war, who served, fought and died. I watched with a lump in my throat as I saw these men standing and saluting during the National Anthem. I envisioned them as younger men fighting their way through Europe and the Pacific. The horrors of war they faced watching friends die and never knowing if they were next. They had a common bond to preserve the liberty of their beloved Country. A majority of these men were there on their own accord. In less than ten years this generation will be no longer as they die off at rate of 1100 per day.

THE TRUTH IS…. I knew how they felt. I can remember the time I viewed the memorial dedicated to the fallen of my generation. I walked the path of the Vietnam Memorial with my son. With my first step on the path, I began to cry and continued to do so for fifteen minutes after we were finished. Only those who had gone before could understand. While a greater number of my generation was not volunteers, they did not let their Country down.

THE TRUTH IS… We are now engaged in a war wherein the popularity has waned. Young men and women are killed and maimed while in the service of their Country. One day a memorial will be proposed and built to honor them.

THE TRUTH IS…. War is not a pretty thing. WWI & II. Korea. Vietnam. Police actions or peace actions. Iraq. It was once said that there are only two rules to war. First, when mothers send their sons off to war some will die and not return. Second, you can’t change the first rule. Let’s try to remember everyday and not once a year for part of a weekend.