I hate when people say Happy Memorial Day. This is not a day for joy, but for solemnity.
People can do what they want, but I just never felt comfortable using today as a party day.
I had my time off Saturday and Sunday. Today I’ve watched lots of military documentaries and have been reading some military history. Learning a bit is the least I can do.
While it is nice to have a National Memorial Day too many of us forget that a lot of families memorialize more than just the national date.
They clearly remember what they were doing when they found out that their soldier would never again walk through the front door with the joyful statement: “Hi! I am home!”
They memorialize that day of sorrow every year.
We should remember that Memorial Day occurs through the Republic 365 days a year not on just one day in May.
To my many friends lost in combat and training actions - I will see you again, keep a beer for me.
A bit depends on we use the word "holiday." Yes, I know that thinking about how we use the word isn't the weightiest matter in the world, let alone the weightiest thing that can or should be done today. Words are also not bound to their sources. But think about how we got a word like "holiday." When the word and anything like it simply mean "a day off" or "vacation time," with no term used, no term sought, and no term missed for anything deeper, something important goes away, and something important goes awry.
While I'm on the subject of days, I'll point out something that will be obvious to many here, but others out there need reminding. The purpose of Memorial Day is not to limit our remembrance--and gratitude--to this one day, or even just to similar days scattered around the year. They were never intended to leave the other days free for ignorance, apathy, or neglect; they are not a confinement but a beginning.
Thanks for posting this.
I cannot go to Arlington without crying. I’ll never forget the Marine veteran of Iwo on his hands and knees crying at the Iwo Memorial. 50 years later and he still grieves like that. I dang near came apart.
No, it is not about picnics, parties, sales, and an extra long weekend.