On this Memorial Day I thank those who gave the ultimate
sacrifice to protect our freedom.
What is Memorial Day? It is an ever-evolving holiday that
began following the Civil War as “Decoration Day” as decreed by Logan’s General
Order No. 11 (http://www.usmemorialday.org).
Over the years, the name was changed to Memorial Day. I’m
sure a little research could dig up the reason, but to me, it just plain makes
sense. We should be doing more remembering, more memorializing, than
decorating. Of course, the “decorating” referred to in the original name was an
admonishment to decorate the graves of those who served. The banners and
buntings that pop up on homes and businesses are pretty, but that’s not what it’s
about.
Memorial Day also evolved to encompass those who have
died in all wars. A fact of life, a cost of freedom, that is sadly
never-ending.
And Memorial Day has shifted about the calendar ever so
slightly to land conveniently on a Monday. Convenient, not so much for those we
are remembering, but for people to have a lovely 3-day weekend, a kick-off to
summer (which is actually still three weeks away), a barbecue, a day that your
boss pays you to not work.
In the past few years, I’ve noticed another evolving
facet of Memorial Day, encouraged by the devotees of social networks, that I
don’t particularly like, and that is combining the respect that we pay to our
fallen soldiers to giving thanks to everyone who has ever served. Don’t get me
wrong. I think we should give thanks to our veterans. I give thanks to them
often, when I meet someone in uniform, when I encounter a friend I know has
served, and on VETERANS Day, which is in November and not always conveniently
on a Monday. By the way, Veterans Day is also the perfect occasion on which to
honor veterans with a donation to Fisher House.
I personally have not had the misfortune of having a family
member or loved one die in combat while protecting my freedom. I do have the
fortune if living in the country where we have more freedom and liberty and
safety than anywhere else on Earth. And for that, I thank the men and women who
gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect those freedoms.
