Memorial Day 2008

Old men remember.

We remember the ones who didn’t have the chance to grow old like ourselves, to become grandfathers like we did, and to look in the closet at the uniform that once fit their young bodies as we do now.

On Memorial Day, the whole country is supposed to remember.  There are always ceremonies held at city parks and cemeteries, but they take a back seat to the family trips to the beach, the sales at the mall, and backyard cookouts.

But, it is the veterans themselves who really remember.  They once shared a foxhole or airplane or a hospital ward with those now in the ground.  And even if they didn’t know them personally, they render their respect.  Honors are given across the generation gap as the old remember the young men from our town who died this spring in Iraq.

(Click on each photo – you will see the full sized version of the picture.)

I find it interesting that many of the old vets were not willing soldiers themselves.  The draft ended in 1973, and many of those who were in World War II, Korea, or Vietnam were drafted.  But they still went – did their duty – and returned home a little different.  As the years went past, some military traditions took on deeper meaning.  One of those traditions is the salute – a skill mastered only by those who served, and the deeper meaning of which is unknown to civilians.  To a veteran, a sharp salute expresses a comradeship – a sharing of respect.  After another of our city’s young men was killed in Iraq, many came forward to render their farewell salute to a young man who will not see his own young son grow into a man.

And I wonder – I wonder what the young soldier’s widow is thinking this Memorial Day.  I doubt she will be at the mall, and somehow I don’t think she is interested in a trip to the beach.  More likely, she will be remembering her late husband.  Two months have passed since he died – enough time to have wrestled with the faceless government bureaucracies, to get used to the “I’m so sorry” greetings, and try to deal with the fact that she is a young and unwilling single mother.  I know she is going to receive a plaque at a ceremony, but I wonder if she will try to find time to visit her husband’s grave - alone.

While the rest of the country drinks beer, watches TV, and has family gatherings, I wonder what this family is doing.  Their son died on May 6th – only three weeks ago.  After the coffin was unloaded from the airplane, they huddled together on the tarmac to watch.  No doubt, this year’s Memorial Day will be one of bitter mourning.

Sometime in the future, different old men will remember.  They will be the survivors of the current wars who will remember the men and women who didn’t get the chance to be old.  They will know the deeper meaning of Memorial Day – and render their own salute.  And they will know Memorial Days occur every day.

Comments

[Sean Lam]

Doug
Thank you for serving. Good to see you back from Vietnam and God bless

[Brian]

As one who never, for one moment, takes for granted what other braver people have done and have given to allow us / me to be `free', ( my Dad torpedoed and sunk twice in WW2, my Granddad in trenches in WW1, my uncles in Africa with the army and in the Navy in WW2 etc.,), it still stops this heart to hear that another soldier has died in War.

May they all be honoured and let the only dishonour be with any who send or cause to send skilled, expert, brave ( but frightened) men and women to risk their lives for less than truly just and noble causes.

Thank you all who have risked so much, given so much, and endured so much, for noble motives.

( powerful post Doug & MGB)

[Sam]

First of all, thank you Doug for serving our country - or perhaps, I should have said - our countries, or even better yet, serving mankind - because after all, we're all brother & sister under one God.
Just as watching the movies Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments on Easter holiday, I always like to watch the Longest Day movie, or lately the Band of Brothers movie series, on Each Memorial Day. It became my "tradition" - like watching football on Thanksgiving holiday, but instead of giving me the up & down exciting, or disappoint feeling over the game, I often feel deeply touch from thinking about the real heroes, the extraordinary bravery, courage and sacrificial of many young man, who risked their lives to help others and whose gave up their lives for liberty to fight for freedom & liberty for million of others, and those young man were not the "Imperialist Pigs" that the ignorance has been accused, and the only land that they occupied was enough for them to rest under six foot of soil, with the honor and forever grateful from those countries that they helped to liberate.
As I has mentioned before, even though it's not mean that those bravery man & women were equal to the ONE who died on the cross for us all, but their selfless acts was basically follow the same path. For that, I saluted to all who has died, those who has served and those still are serving our country. May God bless them all, now & forever.

Sam

[Tom]

I was in DC for Memorial Day. On Tuesday May 27 I participated in the Advisory Council meeting for The Viet Nam Vetrans' Memorial Fund. An Education Center will be built underground on The Mall near The Wall. It was difficult to hold back the tears during much of the 2 1/2 hour meeting. I wasn't the only one. Jan Scruggs, creator of The Wall, General Barry McCaffery and many others had tears rolling down their cheeks during many very emotional presentations on why this Education Center is so important. So many well known people are part of this effort, including Colin Powell, George Bush Senior, Henry Kissinger, Tom Ridge, and Brent Scowcroft. How did the five teachers like me get selected to participate?

The waste of life in war is so very difficult to understand. Isn't there a better solution, given the advanced nature of our society, than killing each other?

[Thuy]

Thank you to all the men and women who served for our country (and other countries too). I never take my freedom for grant, especially when I go to the voting booth.