Conservatively Speaking

Every day should be Memorial Day

Posted by Mary Lazich on May 21, 2009

Veterans issues

Three-day weekends customarily provide time for celebration. Let us remember that in America, Memorial Day is a patriotic day to honor soldiers. We acknowledge the importance of lives lost, our brave young soldiers having died in wars to ensure our great country is the freest in the world. These courageous men and women believed in principles and ideals so powerful that they were willing to fight and die so that we could freely continue our pursuit of happiness.

At one time Memorial Day was exclusively a reverent occasion, with festivities frowned upon. Author and historian James McPherson wrote in the New York Times that during 1888, “the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) condemned ‘indulgence in public sports, pastimes and all

amusements on Memorial Day,’ while crusty old Gen. William T. Sherman said Americans should spend the day at the cemetery honoring the dead rather than marching in parades.”

Amidst family cook-outs and golf outings, find time to ponder the tremendous sacrifices our soldiers have made. Pause for a few moments to remember the reason they served and the reason they died to protect and preserve democracy. Value their extraordinary sacrifice and the

extraordinary hardship and sacrifice of their families. We owe them that and so much more.

The debt owed to those making the ultimate sacrifice can never be repaid. What we can and must do to prevent their sacrifice from becoming meaningless is remember and thank these valiant heroes. The ultimate appreciation for us able to celebrate our freedom on the fourth of July

is to devote living every day proving that we are truly deserving of the lives soldiers gave for America. That is the reason it is important that every day be Memorial Day.

Last month, Memorial Day was honored in Israel. At the ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of his older brother Yoni, an army commando, killed during a 1976 hostage rescue in Uganda. “I know the meaning of losing a loved and admired brother who has gone and will never return. I know that for a bereaved family every day is Memorial Day. Every day of the year, every morning we awake to a void that cannot be filled,” Netanyahu said.

This Memorial Day weekend seize an opportunity to wear a poppy, fly a U.S. flag, visit a cemetery, place flowers on a grave, say a prayer, or say thank you in your own special way.  After the weekend is over, consider helping disabled veterans or their widows, widowers, and children of fallen soldiers left behind. Pledge to honor and speak out about the heroic efforts of men and women in uniform that built the country we enjoy and cherish today. Live out the American Dream showing you are truly worthy of our soldiers’ sacrifices.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. S. Ward Casscells was correct saying, “Truly, every day must be Memorial Day. There is no limit on the time that can or should be spent lamenting lives lost in our country’s defense.”