Happy Memorial Day

I read this post by Kidd Kraddick and I wanted to share.

May 27, 2011

If you are new to America and you go by what you see and hear on TV and radio, you might be convinced that Memorial Day is the one weekend a year to "ENJOY HUGE SAVINGS ON ELECTRONICS AND HOME FURNISHINGS!'

You almost never hear the words Memorial Day anymore unless they're followed by the word "Sale".

People always complain that we’ve lost the true meaning of Christmas or Easter but unlike those examples, remembering our fallen soldiers doesn't require you to be Christian or Jew or Muslim. Just American.

Not Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, pro-war, anti-war. We should all come together on this day…not the whole weekend…just Monday, and remember what the holiday means and how we’re supposed to observe it.

When America was trying to recover from the Civil War, nearly every family in this country felt the direct loss. Imagine a country one fourth the size it is now and then imagine nearly 700 THOUSAND casualties. On those first few memorial days, I’m pretty sure they didn't celebrate with hot dogs and three day weekends and a sale on video games.

In the last seven years, Memorial Day has meant something for the first time to hundreds of families. Families who've been through the scope of emotions that started with pride of service, fear of loss, and finally the numbing grief that the person they love is gone forever. Ask the families and they usually won't use the word hero. Instead they'll use words like "friend", "brother", "son", "confidant", "full-of-life", "passionate", and "sincere".

Just my opinion, but Monday is not the day to debate the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It's offensive. It's offensive to say our soldiers died in a meaningless war. It's equally offensive to defend the cause. On this day it is. We've got 364 other days for that.

Memorial Day to me isn't about war or all the feelings that go along with it. It's about individuals who chose to serve in the United States Military, they chose to follow orders and they made the ultimate sacrifice.Chances are there is a veterans' cemetery within a few miles of you. You'll find many soldiers buried there who returned from the war and lived full, productive lives. But you'll no doubt find a bunch of headstones that tell the story of an abbreviated life. Each of those markers represents the crushed dream of a wife, a parent, a brother.

And I hope we will remember that on Monday, in between hanging out with family and firing up the grill and hanging out with friends...I truly hope that Monday, if even for a fleeting moment, you will hit the pause button and realize that this is not just a day off from work or school. Our fallen heroes chose to put their lives on the line for many reasons, but I'm pretty certain that giving us a day-off is not one of them.

I sometimes regret that I did not have the privilege to serve my country. As much as I whine and complain about how imperfect America is (an inalienable right to do so in America, by the way), I wish that I had given a couple years of my life to demonstrate to others and especially myself that what we have here is more than worth defending. And for those who did--and paid the price--they will forever have my unwavering respect and admiration.

If my opinion reflects yours as well, PLEASE share them with your facebook friends. The more who post, the more those who served will feel the universal appreciation they deserve on this day.

-Kidd