May 25, 2013
-
Memorial Day
It irks me when people say have a Happy Memorial Day weekend. It’s not that you shouldn’t be happy, but most of all you should have a Thankful Memorial Day weekend. You should be grateful for the men and women that gave their lives so you could grill out and take Monday off. Those families of those men and women won’t be sharing a cold one with their lost soldier. They won’t be spending their 3 day weekend with the one they want to the most.
Remember, all that BBQ, all that beer, all that fun in the sun came at a cost, and not the cost you paid at the register. The cost of a human life.Have a thankful and grateful holiday.
Comments (11)
I am thankful for all those who have sacrificed for me. We usually go to the cemetery on MemDay. (thanks for this good reminder)
There’s merit here, but there’s also a flip side. I think you know me well enough to know that I’m all for giving respect and gratitude to those who have served, who had died, and the families that lost them.
I also think most of us do forget what this day will be about. It HAS become a day to get the grill lit, grab some beer and most of all get out of work. So yeah, more respect and memorializing is needed.
But at the same time, what did they die for but that we could be free to buy beer, burn hot dogs, and prove that we really can jump off a roof wearing a bedsheet for a cape, and survive?
It’s a mixed bag. Equal amounts memorial, and actually doing the things they fought to defend. Somber, and silly, at the same time.
I am very thankful of the Men and Woman who died to allow us to earn and maintain our Freedom
I am eternally grateful for every man and woman who has given the ultimate sacrifice for our country and for me.
Thank you to them.
And thank you to you for this post.
HUGS!
I am grateful to all of those who served, those who came home, and those who did not, and those who are active and serving today.
We are a military family and my husband is a disabled Nam vet and we are proud of him for his service.
I agree with The Doug. I think we should remember those that gave their lives so that we can enjoy the lifestyle we enjoy on more than just one day. It’s kind of like Thanksgiving, being grateful for our freedom is something we should be everyday.
Remember that scene in Full Metal Jacket, when Private Pyle was caught sneaking a Jelly Doughnut into the barracks. The Gunnery Sergeant told Pyle he could eat it while his fellow soldiers-in-training had to be punished for his mistakes. Pyle stood there, eating his doughnut with tears running down his face. That delicious doughnut was probably the worst thing he ever tasted because of the guilt that came along with it.
“They’re paying for it, you eat it!”
That’s how I feel about Barbecuing on Memorial Day.
Guilty.
@Jack_Hawksmoor - How you feel is how you feel, and I’d rather you feel guilt than nonchalance in this particular instance, but at the same time I wish you didn’t. The people who sign up to fight for our liberty (I was one of them) may have ulterior motives like it being a good job, or getting money for college, etc. but the majority of them (especially those that volunteer for the combat arms instead of, say, admin clerks-etc) also hold, at their core, a firm belief that liberty is worth defending… even at the cost of their own life.
Imagine a father, jumping in front of a bus to push his child out of the way. He gives his life to save his child’s life. I think the last thing in the world that father would want would be for his child to live that life feeling guilty. I can’t see a father dying (or a soldier dying) so that the one for whom he died lived in guilt.
I know you’re not saying you spend every day of your life feeling guilty that you’re here and they aren’t, but even on Memorial Day, I just think it’s a more fitting service to feel thankful than guilty.
About ten years ago, a woman told me that we have not seen wide scale death from war in this generation. She said very few people know someone that has died in war. She said back in WWII everyone knew someone that died so there was a different approach to the day. But she said today it has no meaning to a group of people that do not understand the context of the day.
Tomorrow, I will be visiting my grandfather’s grave. I think this is the first time I’ll actually remember going and seeing his grave. I probably have been there before, I was just young. So in a way, I’m excited for that. He served. So I think it’s an appropriate day for my first real memory of “visiting” him. I never did get to meet him.
And well said!
Well said dear, I agree.