Ok. I’m going to rant for about 5 minutes. Then I’ll be done.
Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day are two totally different things.
Seriously.
I appreciate the whole “support the troops” idea. Really. I do. I am truly appreciative of the support that the nation has given the Armed Forces, particularly as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have dragged on, become less and less popular, and tested the nation’s patience and pocket. I’ve enjoyed much of that support; from USO services downrange to military discounts at home, plus the thanks from random people on the street, I’ve had my share of the nation’s thanks, and I’m am always floored, honored, and made a little awkward by it. (as a side note, don’t thank a military member in the grocery store for their service. We’re just trying to grab an onion and a loaf of bread. When you do that, it always starts an avalanche of thanks that ends up with us running for the door. Donate to the USO or the Wounded Warrior Fund or to Fisher House.)
But today isn’t about that. There’s a day in November, happens every year, that’s dedicated to the nation’s vets. It originally went to the troops who served in World War One, which is why it’s on the anniversary of that war ending. Memorial Day, on the other hand, is for the troops that didn’t come home, and for the families that welcomed a casket (or sometimes just a chaplain’s visit) and didn’t get the happy reunion at the airport or school or ballpark.
Today is different.
Here’s a little history on Memorial Day– it initially was celebrated after the Civil War as a way to honor the dead. Started in the North, Southern states didn’t celebrate the holiday until World War One…it was a “Yankee Holiday” that may or may not have been started by freed slaves honoring the troops killed to free them. During World War One, however, there was an effort to make it a national day of remembrance. A Confederate memorial was added to Arlington Cemetery, and the nation began celebrating her fallen soldiers together. It wasn’t made a 3 day weekend until the Federal Holiday’s Act, which made it the last Monday of May (this is the same law that gave us President’s Day instead of two separate days for Lincoln and Washington.) The day was established to celebrate the nation’s war dead.
Throughout the day, I’ve seen a constant stream of twitter messages, facebook updates, and TV spots thanking today’s troops for their service. The Kansas City Royals celebrated Armed Forces Day at the ball game today. (there’s a day for that too…it’s the second Saturday in May.) I’ve seen people bash each other online about how to best celebrate today. And that’s the crux of the issue.
Today isn’t Christmas. It isn’t a “happy” day to “celebrate.” Today is a day to remember, to honor, and to reflect. To remember those that left home, wearing our flag and didn’t come back. To honor those that paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we celebrate. And to reflect on the freedoms we have, and what we would be willing to sacrifice to continue to enjoy them.
President Clinton signed a bit of law that sets 3 PM as a minute of reflection today. You’re supposed to stop whatever you’re doing and take a quiet minute and think about the sacrifice we’re supposed to be honoring. They picked 3 PM for a reason…so it’d be in the middle of our parties and beach trips and ballgames. I didn’t know that until about 4:30 today. I wish it was more commonly known and followed.
It’s not a day about a good price on a car. It’s just not a day to go hit the beach, float the river, or to sit around, get drunk and watch the ballgame. Don’t get me wrong…the soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who we honor today would want you do all those things, and to laugh and scream and have fun while you do them. I think, however, that they’d like you to remember them, and those they served alongside, as well as the families of those who died.
Thank a vet in November. Hell, thank them on the 4th of July and on V.E. and V.J. day and the anniversary of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the fall of Vietnam and the invasion of Korea. Today, however, visit section 60 of Arlington. See the families of those who were killed in the last 10 years. Thank a mother who is wearing a Gold Star. Talk to your grandparents about how many members of their high school class couldn’t come to the 10 year reunion…ask your parents if they knew anyone who didn’t come back from Vietnam. And if you can’t do any of those, enjoy your beer, your barbeque, your float trip, your trip to the beach or the ballgame. But take 30 seconds to think about why you get to enjoy them.
POSTSCRIPT: Whoever sang “God Bless America” during the Cards/Royals game should be shot. It was awful.
