What Memorial Day Means To Me

When I was a very young boy, growing up in central Indiana, Memorial Day was just another day off school, at least in the beginning. By the third or fourth grade I started to better appreciate the holiday for what it was. The older I got the more I understood why we observed Memorial Day. I grew to think of Memorial Day as a day of remembrance for the sacrifices of the brave men in the Second World War. I am not sure exactly why the fallen heroes of WWII stood out but that is whom I always thought of.

Mine was a generation that hadn’t really lived through war. I was born in 1975 and by the time I can remember Vietnam already seemed like a thing from the past. Then in 1990, my freshman year of High School, Iraq invaded Kuwait. We watched the televised war very carefully every day at school. From the time of the invasion to the day the Iraqi’s were driven out of the small country of Kuwait.

It was then that I started to really understand the meaning of Memorial Day. Yes it was a way to honor the hundreds of thousands who sacrificed their lives during the Second World War, but it was also a way to honor all service men and women from all wars. I thought of the 50,000 plus lost in Vietnam, the men who gave their lives in Korea and Grenada. I thought of those lost in Kuwait. I started to learn more about the brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines that served our great nation.

As I finished high school I went on thinking about those who sacrificed their lives for this great nation.

I joined the Air Force in 1994 and some of my “understanding” of Memorial Day has changed quite a bit.

I know now, that Memorial Day isn’t just a way to honor the dead, but a way to honor all who have served. Everyday, I am surrounded by some of America’s finest. Men and women who have seen hells gate and chose to remain in the service. I have seen hostile fire and I know those with purple hearts. I have had friends lost and family scared to death over where I might go next.

As we observe Memorial Day this year I will remember all who have served. I will think of those who stood up to tyranny from the revolutionary war to the liberation of Afghanistan and Iraq. I will think of my brothers (and sisters) at arms with whom I served side by side for eight long months in the Middle East. I will think of those whom I work with everyday.

Memorial day is not only a tribute to the brave men and women of the armed forces but also a tribute to the American spirit.

Enjoy your freedoms and remember those who fight for them.

SlagleRock Out.

Posted by SlagleRock at May 30, 2004 04:38 PM