I have a request that I would like to make of those people that come into my world for the next 36 hours or so. I want to get through the rest of this holiday weekend without hearing anyone say anything along the lines of "Thankful for all our servicemen and women", or "we remember all of our veterans".
This is Memorial Day weekend. Folks have loaded up the boats and polished up the BBQ. I think that's all well and good. Enjoy a three day weekend. Have a blast. Just don't thank all of our vets, you ignorant pseudo-patriotic moron. Put that flag away. You don't deserve to wave it. You aren't worthy of the lives lost by our servicemen when you can't be bothered to learn what the purpose of the day is.
Memorial Day is about remembering the dead. That's right, it's all about dead people. It's not about the official kick off of summer. It's not about getting out to the lake. It's not about having a great cook out or the start of patio beer season. It's about men, most of them young men, who believed in their country and what the country wanted of them enough to pick up a rifle and go fight. These men died offering service to this country and the people living in it.
Some of them died quickly, some slowly. Some knew it was coming, some had no idea that it was even possible they could die when they woke up that morning. A few of them not only knew they were going to die, they knew that their deaths were completely meaningless, those men still fought on.
I hope you find yourself in possession of a ice cold beer this weekend. Go ahead and open it. Stand up, take off your hat, lift that beer high, look up to heaven and say out loud, "thank you men, I remember you" and drink it down. Drink it all. While you are drinking think of the 1,321,612 who had their lives cut short in war for the benefit of this nation.
Just don't you thank "all our service men and women". We have a day for that, its November 11th. You cheapen the sacrifice of the dead when you lump them together with the living.
*slow clap*
ReplyDeletePreach it, brother.
It's such a pity that we have so many "holidays" that no one remembers what any particular one is really about.
That's because all the holidays have devolved into nothing more than bargaining chips when union contracts come up. And also our lousy educational system.
ReplyDeleteOld Sarge,
ReplyDeleteIt makes me mad when I hear people saying stupid stuff and pretending that they are more patriotic because "they care". Whoop de freaking do. If they cared as much as they profess they'd do us all a favor and learn something about what they are talking about.
There was a kid I went to HS with. I didn't know him well. Just one of those kids you see and say hi to sometimes. Between Junior and Senior year he went to boot camp. He must have distinguished himself, at prom he had a stripe on his dress blues. He died in Gulf War I.
He was very proud about being a Marine and serving his country. I think he may have even been a little pissed off that they made him come back for his senior year.
I'm not sure what he really died for, or how. I only learned about his death when my mom sent me the obit and asked if I knew him. I know what he thought he died for. He thought he was serving for us, his country and all the things it's supposed to stand for. I have nothing but respect for that.
I wonder how many people take their children to a war memorial for our dead service men on memorial day weekend? My parents never did. Nearly every town has one, now even the town Where I really grew up, Population about 800 and falling has one now.
ReplyDeleteWell put, Res. People also forget that it's a day to remember the *civilians* who died, also.
ReplyDeleteNothing can cheapen a meaningless death more than the reality of it.
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