Memorial Day's True Meaning
The faces all have one thing in common. They all look normal. They look just like us.
I'm talking about the montage of photos of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. A number of newspapers ran the picture galleries yesterday for Memorial Day.
The soldiers pictured were mostly young. There were few women in this group. There were a few in their 40s, and even 50s. You wonder, what the heck were they doing over there?
Each picture represents a life cut short. It represents a family with an empty chair at the dining room table.
Memorial Day has been changed forever for these families. It's no longer a day off from work and an occasion for a picnic.
Now it truly is a day for remembering, and for sadness.
I wonder how many people stopped to look at those pictures in the papers.
Do we hear what they are saying? Do we learn the lessons bought so dearly?
I hope so.
At the same time, it troubles me that these photos usually only show up on Memorial Day, tucked in between the ads for the weekend's sales.
I think we need to be reminded every day that this country has sent thousands of its best into harm's way. They were there yesterday while the rest of us enjoyed the holiday.
They are there today. They will be there tomorrow.
We cannot forget.
-- Leroy Sievers
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment