Memorial Day: A Sacred Charge

Memorial Day 2014
Colorado USA

Before we roll out this weekend - I am inclined to revisit some thoughts on Memorial Day...

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I remind you government in no way, shape or fashion funds Memorial Day events. Politicians and bureaucrats do not fund Memorial Day flyovers or color guard participation. Memorial Day events are sponsored lock, stock and barrel by the American Taxpayer. Despite what you may hear -- politicians do not own this day by rule or writ or rhetoric. Grieving hearts and respectful sentiment own this day. People of all ages and from all walks of life will gather across the land in common purpose and reverence. Flags will wave. Bands will play. Bells will toll. The Star Spangled Banner will ring out across the land. Heads will dip in remembrance and respect as the names of the fallen echo across flag studded fields of honor.

Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation's gratitude, -- the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan.
-- General John A. Logan in his General Order No. 11 of May 5th, 1868, Decoration Day

As freeborn children we should spend this day in celebration and do so out of respect for the sacrifices made by generations of soldiers who have paid and continue to pay the ultimate price on our behalf. We should celebrate with a proud eye on the flag and lend an attentive ear to the families and friends of those who have fallen in the service of our country. We should stand in silent support beside a friend who once again grapples with the fact that they made it home alive while others did not. Lest we forget, we should pay our respects to veterans past and present in our own families.

We cannot let ourselves be blind or deaf to the sacrifice of increasingly unsung valor. We cannot become so immured to the reality and violence of war that we fail to respect the soldier's reality - those brave souls who defend and protect and serve. We cannot harden our sensibilities so that we do not see the pain of sacrifice in a mother’s eye or the bewilderment in the expressions of widows and orphans. Let our hearts not be so jaded that we cannot feel the loss of a single one of our brave.

Let us celebrate being American. Let us raise our flags high... let us raise our hands in salute... let us raise our voices in patriotic tribute... let us raise our heads in pride of country. Let us teach our children an appreciation for the veteran elders among us and guide them on the path that preserves freedom and liberty, justice and independence for all time. Let us do these things in celebration of diversified unity. United We Stand is not merely an old catch phrase - it is a call to duty. It is our duty, one we should impart with diligence to younger generations. It is a duty we should demand of anyone standing on our free and bloodied soil.

As we celebrate Memorial Day like we do so many holidays in the good ol' USA -- with picnics and beer, car races and concerts, flags and fireworks, motorcycle rides and mountain drives, and heaven forbid an inordinate amount of commercialism, let us pause in the revelry with grateful hearts and rejoice that we live in the land of the free. Let us renew our allegiance to the ideal that is the United States of America.

Finally - let us look our living veterans in the eye, acknowledge their service – tip a hat, shake a hand, hug a neck and keep in mind what Samuel Adams once said, If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin. Every day we wake in a free and civilized country is a reason to be grateful for those who have done the hard work and we can take comfort in the fact that they would all do it again.

Here's a nod of respect: American Legion Riders, Combat Vets, Run for the Wall Riders and dozens of other organizations as well as countless individuals will roll over thousands of miles this weekend to various remembrance celebrations and memorials across this land. My 78 year old Dad is scheduled to attend several such events on Monday alone. I just want to say to all of you - Ride Safe. Ride Free. You make me proud.

Finally, Happy Memorial Day is a common expression at odds with itself. I cannot imagine felicity being an appropriate expression of regards on a day we have set aside to memorialize those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our well-being. If they could tell us what is in their hearts, I imagine those who paved the way for our enjoyment of a three day holiday would kindly indulge our flagrant abuse of it. They did not sacrifice to be memorialized with tears and pain. No, they sacrificed so we the people could continue the uninhibited pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.

With that in mind, perhaps the highest tribute we can pay is to consider it our sacred charge to properly acknowledge every day as Memorial Day in the USA.