We will observe Memorial Day May 26. Most of those observations
will be composed of barbecues, gardening, hiking, biking or some
other kind of leisurely activity.
There certainly is not anything wrong with making the most out
of a three-day weekend, but we urge everyone to take time to ponder
the third day in that weekend. Why is it there? What does it
mean?
Unlike Veterans Day, a day on which we should honor the living
who have served us and our nation, Memorial Day is a day to honor
those who believed so strongly in the nation and its principles
that they sacrificed the very opportunity to enjoy the fruits of
those principles.
This is especially important in these times. Today, a whole new
generation of young men and women are doing what tens of thousands
before them have done – fighting for principle.
It matters not whether one was for or against this war before it
began, just as it matters not whether one was for or against the
Vietnam War or any other war. Politics does not change the fact
that our fallen soldiers deserve our respect; they deserve to be
remembered.
And that is exactly what we should give them. Displaying the
flag certainly is one way of demonstrating our appreciation, but we
can go much farther. Some of us might find time for visit to the
cemetery, and most who do will go there because a departed relative
is there.
A visit to the cemetery, even alone, affords a chance to see the
families of soldiers as they pay their respects; a chance to hear
the flags rustling in the breeze; a chance to ponder the what-ifs
and what-could-have-beens for thousands who sacrificed all chances
at anything for this nation.
If nothing else, this weekend, take a few minutes to just to
think about that.