Today is Memorial Day.
What does that mean to you?
The observance of Memorial Day, established in 1908 (as some believe), has declined over the years. Many Americans today have forgotten what Memorial Day was founded for.
Graves of the fallen are ignored. Flag etiquette has blown away. Parades to honor veterans dressed in military service attire have disappeared. Some honor any dead, not just servicemen or women.
It is believed that when Congress ruled to incorporate Memorial Day in 1971 into a three-day weekend, the holiday’s purpose lost its punch. In the Memorial Day address of 2002 by the VFW, it was stated, “Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public’s nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.”
Years ago, you could go through city streets and it was the oddity not to see a flag hanging outside the home. Today it seems an oddity to see a flag out in front of a home in celebration/remembrance of Memorial Day.
There are some who do not agree with the concept of war, but there were men and women who unselfishly gave their lives so that we could be a free nation. If we define free, it would go something like this…
Freedom is the ability to be independent and not restricted to a governing entity’s rules and regulations. It is having a free will and choice to do as we please, even if others don’t agree (church affiliations, education issues, morality options, etc.) with our choices. It is the ability of being able to speak our minds without being killed or thrown into jail. It is the ability to wear what we like without fear of being shunned by our culture and/or punished. It is the opportunity to choose what we want to do with our lives without being dictated to by a higher authority and told what we must do instead.
Do we really understand, as a nation, what it took to get where we are today? Do we understand what it cost to have the freedom to walk through the doors of a church without being persecuted? Do we understand that the same men and women who died for that freedom died for the same freedom for those who choose alternate lifestyles? For the pro-choice and pro-life alike? For the white, the African American, the Jew?
Prejudices had to be put aside when the men hit the battlefield at Normandy. Our soldiers don’t fight for a select group when they stand in defense of our country, but for our country as a whole. There cannot be partiality but unity when they are in defense mode.
We may not like war; we may not support its purposes. However, when you count your blessings today, remember the fallen men and women of the wars past. Regardless of our stand on our military’s involvement in establishing peace, they put their life on the battle line not just for their friends and families, but for us all.
While family and friends gather and the BBQ’s are lit for the annual Memorial Day BBQ today, make mention of the meaning of what today is all about. Tell your children so they understand it isn’t just another day off from school, but a day to remember those who gave their life for our freedom. Whether we agree or not, it happened and should be respected.