A Memorial Day Message to all Americans
How should we approach Memorial Day? What is the most appropriate way to remember those troops throughout American history who have paid the ultimate sacrifice? How do we properly reconcile our honor for the fallen with our potential disdain for the wrongful policies (and policymakers) that have often placed them in harm's way? Let's talk about it.
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A full-hearted yes!
In our house, Memorial Day has always been the time that we go to the national cemetery and clean off the stone, leave flowers, and reflect. It’s hard for it not to be somber, surrounded by thousands upon thousands of graves. But more than simple remembrance, it was always a chance to educate and learn. Taking our children always resulted in dozens of questions: what’s a purple heart? what’s an OLC (oak leaf cluster)? why are there ‘unknown’ marked graves? what was the korean war about? what was vietnam about? how did the war start? how many died in that war? There were always more questions than answers, but we took every opportunity to point out the machinations, false flags, economic interests, and corruption that accompanies war.
My children always left the cemetery saying something along the lines of, “It’s so sad—what a waste and shame. We should try to make sure it never happens again.”
From the mouths of babes…