A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
I’ve been privileged to have many people thank me recently for my service in the Army. I’ve gotten phone calls from family and friends, emails from strangers and supporters, and cards in the mail. But, please don’t think me. Memorial Day is not about me or anyone you can thank in person. It’s about those soldiers who we’ll never be able to thank. We just have to trust that they are looking down on us now and seeing that we are living our lives of freedom in a manner that would bring them honor for making that sacrifice. We have to SHOW our gratitude; we can’t speak it to them with words.
For many people, Memorial Day is another day off work to have BBQs and hit the beach. Some will watch sports or hit the volleyball pit with their neighbors. Watching from hidden perches will be those soldiers who will no longer be with us, making sure we are still safe.
Memorial Day is about SPC George Mitchell, who I had joked with before going into Iraq. He was the oldest looking Specialist I had ever seen. He joined the Army late in life and had a sincere desire to serve his country. He became the commander’s driver and was very proud of it. His job was important: ensure the commander’s vehicle had inflated tires, topped off fuel level, fifty functioning radios, and a soft cushy chair. He was to use his own clothing to pad the seat if it wasn’t soft enough. He died on April 7, 2003 by indirect fire miles from the action we were experiencing as we captured the heart of Baghdad. At the memorial, I joked that he did his job; he saved the commander’s vehicle. It didn’t make me feel better.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
In the order, Gen Logan laid out the guidelines for how Memorial Day should be celebrated:
The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.
He also was a man of vision. I believe he probably predicted modern times when people would spit upon the brave men and women who wear the uniform of this country’s military when he said, “If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.”
Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.
While Arlington National Cemetary is famous for the flags and flowers that are presented to the heroes buried there, what of the hundreds of veterans cemetaries across the country? People ask what they can possibly do to show our fallen that they care. Make Memorial Day a day that you truly honor our vets.
Visit the cemetaries where veterans are buried. Pull the weeds growing uncontrollably across their placemarkers. Clean off the droppings and dirt buildup on the headstones. Bring an extra flower to brighten their immortal presence. Plan a flag beside their plot. Kneel in prayer for their souls and their surviving families. Our veterans should not be allowed to be forgotten or overrun through a lack of attention. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.
Ronald Reagan once said, “When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for our country, for us. And all we can do is remember.”
If you’re in the DC area, or within driving distance to it, you can be at Arlington National Cemetary at 0800 to prepare for the imminent arrival of Fred Phelp’s Westboro Ba’athist Church. The godless heathens will be picketing the cemetary at 1015, Monday, May 29th. Only the presence of God’s true love can drown them out. The unmistakable strength of the broad stripes and bright stars will be there to minimize their hatred.
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Teresa
Thanks for posting this….it has truely made me think about why we observe Memorial Day.
I am sorry t hear about Phelp’s group of non-christians will be picketing at Arlington National Cemetary….but my guess is that there will be enough christians and American’s who want to show their appreciation and respect for those who served our country.
Teresa
Donna
Patriot,
Thanks for helping us remember what Memorial Day is supposed to be about. I’m sorry but our family always decorated all of our family’s graves. Well meaning I’m sure but it wasn’t until I was almost grown that I realized it was supposed to be about our heroes who had died in the line of duty.
I hope that Fred Phelps and his bunch get scared off at Arlington. By calling themselves christians, they disgrace the name.
Carole
Great post CJ. Too many of us have forgotten the true purpose of Memorial Day. We tend to think of it as just another long weekend. Thanks for the reminder and Thanks for your service anyway.
Janet
I have been to such divergent places as Arlington in Washington and Punchbowl in Honolulu and many places in between over Memorial Day and the impact has always been the same. I am deeply grateful for all who serve but for those that have given the “last full measure of devotion”, feeling overwhelms words. We do need to remember more fully and live our lives in more meaningful ways, knowing that what we are still able to do so because they no longer see and experience sunrises and sunsets. Here’s to SPC George Mitchell and the approximately 2500 souls of this current war on terror and to the hundreds of thousands of others going back over the smaller events such as Granada, Panama, the Marine Barracks in Lebanon, and the greater wars of Vietnam, Korea, WWII, WWI, all the way back to the soldiers of the Continental army of George Washington who began this great nation by the giving of life.
We live in the greatest nation on earth and continue to do so because of them. Thanks for the reminder and CJ, I send you condolences for the personal losses that you remember this week-end and always. God bless all our heroes and you and the others who serve.
Pamela
Our family will be visiting two local cemeteries where memorials and other events will be taking place to honor all those that have served. I would not let Memorial Day pass without giving it the honor it deserves. I am sure most of your readers will be paying their respects in their own ways, too. Best always!!
wordsmith
Nice tribute, Patriot. My condolences for the loss. God bless all the fallen heroes who serve to protect this great nation. I hope you are able to take comfort in this Memorial Day Weekend, and know that many of your fellow citizens support the important work that you and your fellow soldiers are doing on our behalf. Thank you.
SK
I read this yesterday and didn’t know what to say. I still don’t. I’m so sorry for the losses, and yet so very grateful for men like those who have served.
Steven
We didn’t have a cookout, or day at the lake for Memorial Day. My three sons, (7,4 & 2), went to the cemetery to visit their cousin and tell him thank you for serving in Iraq so that they can be free to go play on the play ground.
Memorial Day has a far different taste this year.