Memorial Day has come to signify the beginning of summer for many people, and while it is a time to enjoy family and friends, it is also something much more than that. The thing about three-day weekends is that they occur so infrequently, so when they do come around, people tend to focus on the social aspects rather than the true meaning of the particular holiday. This is especially true of Memorial Day, but it doesn't have to be.
Obviously, this is being written after the Memorial Day weekend has passed, so there isn't much that can be done about this year, but hopefully this will give people some food for thought in the years to come.
For many years, I treated Memorial Day as a three-day weekend that marked the beginning of the summer. During times of peace, we tend to forget the importance of this holiday unless we were directly affected by it. Since I don't know anyone that lost their lives in combat, it didn't have the deep impact on me that many others feel. However, since 9/11, I have become much more in tune to the importance of our military, and my appreciation for them is immeasurable.
This Memorial Day weekend was spent in close proximity to the military, as I took my son into New York City for Fleet Week, and then my family and I spent the day at the beach for the Blue Angels air show. The stories of my weekend will be detailed in upcoming posts, as they are too lengthy to tell here. However, there is one event that happened that I thought best fit into this post.
While at the beach for the Blue Angels air show, there were protestors lined up along the boardwalk. I ignored most of them, but the sign that one of them made caught my eye. Unfortunately, my camera was back at the blanket on the beach, so I couldn't get a shot of it before the protestor left. The sign read "Air Show = Freak Show," and it went on to mention how wrong it was to support anything that supports the war, but I don't recall the exact phrasing.
I found this to be very disturbing, and I think that there are people that are very misguided out there. Normally, I try to stay away from politics and religion on my posts because I find them to be divisive subjects that can lead to disagreements. Those that choose to write about politics and religion have every right to do so, and to be proud of their opinions.
In my opinion, our military should not be something that we protest against. Without it, we would most certainly not enjoy the way of life that we do right now. To me, this is not about being pro-war or anti-war, it's about being a proud American citizen that appreciates what our military does for us. The men and women that serve us have chosen to do so, and there is tremendous pride in what they do (justifiably so). What they don't do is decide which country we will go to war with, or which countries will be invaded. That responsibility falls directly upon the shoulders of our elected officials. The protests of our military, to me, are very unjust. The members of the military are doing their part to protect our way of life - nothing more, nothing less. In fact, it can be argued that without the power of our military, we wouldn't enjoy the freedom of speech that allows for these kinds of protests in the first place.
It makes no difference whether you are a Republican or Democrat, pro-war or anti-war, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian or anything else. The bottom line is that we are all Americans that enjoy certain freedoms because of our powerful military. Many great men and women have given their lives to protect our freedom, and they deserve to be remembered, especially on Memorial Day.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying the three-day Memorial Day weekend. In fact, I'm sure that the members of the military wouldn't have it any other way. It would just be nice to take a moment between barbecuing and socializing to honor those that have given their lives for our country. After all, that is what Memorial Day is really about. Instead of protesting the men and women that serve our country, perhaps it would be better to thank them for all of their selfless efforts.
I, for one, will ALWAYS... "Remember the Heroes."
In 1983, long before the current situation in Iraq, Sammy Hagar wrote a song entitled "Remember the Heroes." Please take a moment to listen to the song, or at the very least, scroll down to the bottom of the page and read the lyrics. Thank you.
Fearful cries surround him.
Returning home a wounded man
To find he's been forgotten.
Courage is the badge he wears
Blinded by obsession.
Wars are won by those who dare
The memory still haunts him.
Remember the heroes
Who fight for the right to choose.
Remember the heroes
We've all got a lot to lose.
A rebel to the naked eye
An undiscovered legend
Face the facts and don' t ask why.
It's something to believe in.
In the dark
Day and night.
Fight the wrong to prove what's right.
Remember the heroes
Who fight for the right to choose.
Remember the heroes
Just another life to use
Remember the heroes.
We've all got a lot to lose.
Remember the heroes.
Remember the heroes.
Remember the heroes.
Remember the heroes.
To take a life without a say
Demanded without reason.
To turn our backs and walk away
A faceless act of treason.
A father's son must carry on
The wound is only deepened.
Remember the heroes
Who fight for the right to choose.
Remember the heroes
It's just another life to use
Remember the heroes.
You know we've all got a lot to lose.
Remember the heroes
Who's gonna fill their shoes?
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