o'blog-a-myne

Heroism is latent in every human soul - However humble or unknown, they (the veterans) have renounced what are accounted pleasures and cheerfully undertaken all the self-denials - privations, toils, dangers, sufferings, sicknesses, mutilations, life-long hurts and losses, death itself - for some great good, dimly seen but dearly held.
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Union hero of Gettysburg)

Memorial Day is the holiday we don’t ‘celebrate’. No one should want to celebrate, it’s to be ‘observed’ or ‘commemorated’. It’s sad there even needs to be such a day. But like so many other things that people do, yet blame God for, war will always exist and therefore a need to solemnly remember those who have died. Everyone appreciates a three day weekend but this day should be like Christmas and Independence Day and observed/commemorated like it was for many, many years and as it was intended. Something else that’s recently creeped into this day of remembrance is forgetting that the purpose of the day is to remember those who have DIED FIGHTING for OUR FREEDOM. It’s not Veteran’s Day and certainly not a day to just remember everyone who’s died, as I recently saw written by some USA Today idiot. I’m a Veteran as are many in my family. Of all the several members of the family/extended family who have served in the Armed Forces only a fraction had seen combat (I’m not one who did) and only one has been wounded, none, thankfully has been killed. I pray that ‘record’ so to speak, continues indefinitely. It’s all the more reason I hold Memorial Day as special, for as many of my kin have served that none need be ‘celebrated/commemorated’ on this day. All the more an indication of just how ‘special’ those are who’ve given their very lives for the freedom and liberty of their fellow Americans. They gave up their future in payment for ours. There are many who’ve come very close, like one nephew wounded badly in Iraq , who will never be totally the same but is now going about getting on with his life. Perhaps there should be a day to ‘celebrate’ those like him, or those many, many over our nation’s history, who’ve died or been injured in training, just staying ready to fight. And certainly for those who’ve put in an entire career of service and passed away in old age. But this is not that day. THIS DAY we HONOR THE FALLEN.

Shot (over)

http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

http://www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfb_disp4.html

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2004/04/taking_chance.html

What are your memories associated with this day? To make it more interesting be sure to add the approximate date, place, and other facts and people associated with your recollection including references to what things of cultural significance were happening at the time. Examples would be clothing and hair styles, cars, music, sports, etc.