…and the never-to-be forgotten.
Seven days. According to Intelligent Design, this is how many days it took for the universe (as well as life) to be created and formed into what it is now. It is the amount of days it takes for someone to hate Monday, look forward to Wednesday, party on Friday (and possibly Saturday), rest on Sunday, and then despise Monday once again. It is also something you don’t want to hear from a whispered voice on a dark, lonely night. Most importantly, it is also the number days it has been since Memorial Day. Seven days. One week. I apologize for the lateness of this post.
Memorial Day is a United States holiday that takes place on the last Monday of every May. For 2009, that was May 25th. While it is a United States holiday, other countries have several variants of this holiday that are celebrated at different times of the year and different traditions than what we are accustom to. No matter what variant of the holiday it is and no matter where it’s celebrated, the reason for the holiday is still the same. The reason for the holiday is to commemorate the brave men and women who died in the military service while fighting for their country’s freedom. The freedom they died for and the freedom that is instilled within us is a good reason to celebrate. To commemorate them, remember them, and the service they have done for our country is a perfect thing to do. This holiday is perfect. Despite these perfections, the holiday remains beautifully saddening holiday.
I say saddening because death is never easy for anyone. The families of those who have lost their brothers, fathers, sisters, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, uncles, aunts, cousins, and everything else in-between know this. Many children have lost parents overseas as well as here, on our own 'turf'. Many parents have lost children in these same circumstances. Many tears have been shed when they realize someone they adore, love, and admire will not be coming home to hug or kiss them one more time. Many smiles have been lost for these same circumstances. While this fuels many to fight against war and protest for peace so that we do not lose any more courageous individuals to violence, it also fuels many to fight in wars so that those lives lost may not have been lost in vain. Both are noble and filled with good intentions, but neither can truly take the pain away from those who did lose their loved ones.
So it is in this post, I remember those our country, the United States of America, have lost over the years during military service. Be it the 19 year old Confederate soldier who died fighting for his right to imprison others, the 17 year old that lied about his age to storm the beaches at Normandy during WWII only to be killed in action, the 21 year old who left for Vietnam only to step upon a landmine as he trekked through the jungle, or the 23 year old serving his country in Iraq when a suicide bomber caught him in his wrath. All of these people need to be remembered and cherished as heroes for what they have done. But not only should they be remembered, but so should their families. Remember the families who lost their smiles because of their family members’ belief in a cause followed by the untimely death that was forced upon them for believing in the original cause. It’s our duty to be for these people and while we can not truly ‘be there’, we can remember. I know I remember and I utter a thank you to them all. For though these people are lost, they will never be forgotten.
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Here are some wonderful poems from usmemorialday.org.
‘Hero Unaware’ by Mark A. Wright
I first saw him on a park bench
I've seen him every day
Sitting in a shady grove
Where my children come to play
Sometimes he feeds the birds and squirrels
Or whittles little toys
Sometimes he just sits and smiles
At the laughing girls and boys
And I never paid him any mind
'Till one day just this year
I noticed that he wore a frown
And on his cheek ... a tear.
Well I asked him why he seemed so down
He looked up, began to say
I lost half my friends 60 years ago today
He told me of the terror
As he fought to reach dry land
By the time the beachhead was secure
Half his friends lay in the sand
That was just in one long day
He fought on for 4 years more
And the 60 years from then to now
Have not dimmed His sights of war
He said they have reunions
Just to keep in touch and share
And for each comrade who has gone on
They leave an empty chair
Well, His park bench has been empty now
About 6 months or so
And if I'd never took the time
Then I never would've known
That sitting on that simple bench
With bread crumbs and little toys
Was a man who gave his all
To guarantee my daily joys
So give thanks to all the men and women
Who're still here or have gone before
And made the highest sacrifice
In both Peace time and in War
Because they bought our freedom
Paid their own blood, sweat, and tears
Then endured the heartache of those empty chairs
For all these years
So please do not ignore them
Or speed by without a care
'Cause you never know
When you might pass by
A hero, unaware.
‘In A Mother’s Eyes’ by Andrew Dean
The day our flagpole was ready, We had no flag to fly
A mother stepped forward and said I have a flag with a tear in her eye
It was given to me the day that we laid my son to rest
He was a true blue soldier who gave his life his best.
I got a knot in my throat and a chill in my bones
A tear rolled down my face
A mother has lost her son at war
The pain on her face.
In a mother's eyes you can see red, white, and blue
In a mother's eyes you can see the pain so true
Freedom comes with a cost of sadness and loss
You can see in a mother's eyes.
When someone puts their life on the line so others can be free
It's a selfless act of courage and love, how thankful we all should be
And when I look at the flag today, I see a whole new meaning there
I see the men and the women who died for her
So in this freedom we can share.
In a mother's eyes you can see red, white, and blue
In a mother's eyes you can see the pain so true
Freedom comes with a cost of sadness and loss
You can see in a mother's eyes.
In a mother's eyes you can see the pain so true
Freedom comes with a cost of sadness and loss
You can see in a mother's eyes.
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