The first weekend of summer is finally here. This long holiday weekend, you will probably attend a BBQ somewhere with friends and family, maybe you will hit the beach or attend a summer concert somewhere. Perhaps you will attend a parade and or a memorial service for the fallen. Then there are the sales. I can guarantee that there will be sales everywhere from car dealers to Wal-Mart. People will be having yard sales and all the tourist areas will become very busy. The roads, especially main interstates and highways will become packed with people intent on getting to their weekend and practically killing anyone who is in their way just to get there!
So is this what Memorial day weekend is really supposed to be about? Sales,BBQ, and surf or is there more to it then that?
The next couple of days will have various talking heads and insincere politicians lauding the sacrifices of our troops both past and present, while the President goes to Arlington to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.......
I am sorry, that last part isn't correct, he won't be going to Arlington after all. But before you get too ticked off at him for breaking such a long standing tradition, consider a few things with me.
First of all this should surprise no one, he has displayed his contempt for America and our laws and traditions since the beginning but that's not the real problem. He is simply following what I would call a trend that has taken place over the years and he ,as our "leader", is simply showing us that trend. Let me explain.
When I was a kid,Memorial day was something to be looked forward to. My home town was small but we had lot's of Veterans and so we always had a parade and a memorial service right there in the center of town. Rain or shine they had it. For me it was great because they had the parade go by the corner of our road and then the memorial service with the gun salute was there as well. The thing I remember the most about it though was the sound of taps.With the sounds of the guns echoing they would begin playing taps and for some reason, reasons that I really didn't understand at the time, it made me sad. We still had WW1 and WW2 vets. Korean war vets and at that time Vietnam was still going on so it would be awhile before they were included but they were there as well. Memorial day meant something to all of us. My uncles had fought in WW2 and Korea I had a cousin who was in Vietnam. When they spoke of their experiences you saw men who really understood what it was to sacrifice, but it included their families as well.
What I think is happening is simply this, we have truly forgotten what sacrifice is, we have forgotten about men and women and their families who gave up everything including thier lives for the freedom we so enjoy. Today just trying to find a Memorial day parade or even just a Memorial service has become difficult. I am not saying that this is true of everyone or of everyplace. To days military is sacrificing as other generations before them have done, but what is missing is the whole community commitment.We don't feel like a nation that is at war. Most of us get to go on with our day to day lives and unless we know of someone who is in harms way at the moment we forget. Though the calendar says Memorial Day, it seems that unless it has personally effected you then the only thing of interest is a good sale and a BBQ.
So the President in reality is simply reflecting the fact that for the most part, Americans have forgotten. Don't take me wrong; He is supposed to be the commander and chief of the armed forces and as such he should consider it his duty ,if not honor, to be there, but he is just reflecting what seems to be a growing trend of not caring by those who do not understand what sacrifice truly is.
So my request to you is simple, enjoy your weekend, eat drink and be merry, but please take time out this weekend to remember why we call it Memorial day in the first place.
Go visit a Veteran, walk through the cemetery and look and the graves with the flags on them,go to your local war memorial and study the names that are engraved there and then research them and discover that these were real people who gave up their lives and or health so you could enjoy your freedom. Simply put; Remember Memorial day.
Semper Fidelis,
Ignacio
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