Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, is a day to remember those in the American armed forces who have died in service to our beloved country. The holiday dates back to the end of the Civil War, originally commemorating the quarter of a million lives lost during that four-year period.
Memorial Day for me really started a few days earlier. Veterans would stand in the middle of the street at the traffic lights and sell red poppies. We fought over who would put the money through the slot on the top of the can, all before the light turned green! It seemed everyone including the kids wore a poppy that day. Growing up in a house where one’s father fought in World War II, one knew very well the importance of the day.
My father was a proud member of the 1
st Cavalry Mounted Division. After his basic training he was selected to go to Fort Riley, Kansas and become a part of the long tradition of the horse cavalry. He would tell us stories about his 6 weeks of training on his horse, ‘Peanut’. He had a picture of the horse and had his name tattooed on his arm. After the 6 weeks, he never saw another horse during the war! He fought in the Pacific, had experienced many beachheads and he was a flamethrower. I never understood what horror that was until I saw the movie,
Saving Private Ryan. Like all the members of the Greatest Generation, he never really talked about his role in the war. I know he and many others suffered because of the war for the rest of their lives.
The morning of Memorial Day almost felt like a Sunday. Flags were flown half-staff until noon, it always seemed very quiet in the morning hours, and somehow we felt a quiet prayerfulness for those who sacrificed their lives for us. It was only after noon, when the flags were put at full mast, did the atmosphere change to having fun.
Memorial Day is a remembrance of how precious life is, how blessed we are to live in the United States, and how grateful we should be to all those who died for us. Sadly, this year, because of another type of a world and national invisible war, we can’t honor those who have died in the usual way, no parades, or flags placed at their tombs, no prayer services, not even the playing of taps.
However, maybe this year we can appreciate the silence of the day a bit more; we spend more time in silent reflection and prayer of how blessed we are. May all those who have died in wars, rest in the peace of Christ, who conquered sin and death. Also, on this day we have grateful hearts for the many sacrifices our brothers and sisters offered.