While prepping for my radio show this afternoon, I stumbled on something that just sickened me! According to a new survey, only 55% of Americans know the real meaning of Memorial Day. Just over half? This just angers me to no end! HOW do people NOT know what it really means? It’s IN the name of the holiday for crying out loud!!
I’ve got news for you, America, this weekend is NOT about camping trips, bonfires, drinking beer, cook outs, or mattress sales!!! In case you are in that 45% – Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, commemorates U.S. Service Members who died while on active duty. First enacted to honor Union and Confederate soldiers following the American Civil War, it was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars. It is a day of remembrance and a day of honor.
For what it is worth, 27% of those answering the survey thought the day was to honor all military veterans both living and dead. The rest of the respondents gave other answers about what they thought the holiday was about, or just flat out had no idea. This is sad, and it just makes me angry. My dad is a veteran, my uncle was a veteran, and I have many friends and family members who all served this great country. They all served with someone who paid the ultimate price while serving.
Your freedom – my freedom – is NOT free, my friend! Brave men and women have died to protect and provide that freedom. They must NEVER be forgotten! RJ Heller said, “In the aftermath, we are because they were.” Martin Luther King Jr. said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Joseph Campbell said, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” THAT is who we need to honor and remember this weekend – the HEROES!
When I was working in radio full time, I read a poem on the air every Memorial Day, and every Veteran’s Day. I found that the first few times I read it, it was very difficult to read and not get emotional. I eventually recorded it with “America the Beautiful” playing behind me. I am no longer on the radio every day, so this is a good time, and the appropriate blog to share it in.
Just a Common Soldier (A Soldier Died Today)
by A. Lawrence Vaincourt
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And tho’ sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we’ll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world’s a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won’t note his passing, though a soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?
A politician’s stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.
It’s so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier’s part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor while he’s here to hear the praise,
Then at least let’s give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.
© 1987 A. Lawrence Vaincourt
If I could ask you one favor today, it would be to take a moment over this holiday weekend to remember them. Remember those who gave their life for their country, and for your freedom. Remember those from all of the past wars and conflicts who fought bravely to keep this country free. Be thankful that they have provided you and me with the freedoms we enjoy each and every day. Remember them. Honor them. They deserve it!
“We don’t know them all, but we owe them all” – Unknown
“Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.” –Unknown
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 
The dumbing down of America.
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Indeed!
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