The Ultimate Sacrifice

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.