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| courtesy of Pixabay CC0 Public Domain |
I have seen many articles, posts, and comments in the news, on
blogs, and on social media, reminding all of us here in the US that Memorial
Day is not all about cookouts, camping, and trips to the beach. These writings,
memes, and posts remind us of the real reason for Memorial Day. Some of them
include heart rending pictures of a war widow camped out next to her fallen
husband’s grave stone at a national cemetery.
Indeed, Memorial Day has been set aside as a day for America to
remember all those who gave their lives in military service to the defense of
our country. The holiday began as Decoration Day in the
aftermath of the American Civil War when General John Logan, commander of the
Grand Army of the Republic, declared a day for the purpose of decorating the
graves of fallen Union Soldiers.
Memorial Day was legally set as the last Monday in May by
Congress in 1971, when Congress set most federal holidays on Mondays to create
three-day-weekends for federal employees. In the years since, Memorial Day has
become the unofficial start of the summer recreation season. As a result, many
people feel the original reason for Memorial Day has become lost or diluted.
I tend to disagree. As I tell my students, what better way to
honor the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for our freedom than to
celebrate that freedom. The people I meet when camping on Memorial Day have not
forgotten why they have this holiday to enjoy. Each one I talk to is thankful
for the men and women who were willing to give the last great measure of
devotion to our country so the rest of us could be free to have a cookout, get
together with friends, enjoy a day at the beach, and otherwise celebrate all
the things the sacrifices of those who died for us have earned for us.
Memorial Day is a day for us to reflect on the cost of our
liberty, but I do not feel it should be a day to wallow in sorrow over those
who were lost paying that price. Remember them, yes, remember them with pride
and heart-felt gratitude. Raise a glass to their memory, praise them for their
willingness to offer their lives for our nation’s freedom. And pray there will
always be those among us who, when our country calls, will answer the call on
behalf of us all.
My students understand well the old mantra, “Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (George
Santayana) Let us all take time on Memorial Day to remember what we have
learned of the price of our freedom, and to enjoy that freedom in the name of
those who paid that price for us.
As always, I remain,
The Exhausted Educator
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