There’s nothing quite like a three day weekend. I’ve never been able to put my finger on it, but it almost feels like we’re getting away with something. We have this extra day at our disposal to do with as we please, which typically involves something fun and relaxing like a day at the lake or a get together with friends at a backyard bbq. While I’m no different, as we plan to relax around the house tomorrow and enjoy an additional day together as a family, this particular three day weekend carries immense weight and brings with it a somber tone, and rightly so.
It’s safe to say that most Americans know that tomorrow is Memorial Day. Sadly, it’s also safe to say that the purpose of this day escapes so many… too many. While most of us will “celebrate” the day tomorrow, there are countless others that will see it as just another day of the year spent without someone that they loved deeply. For them, every day is Memorial Day. They don’t have the luxury of saying a quick prayer, giving thanks to those who have paid the ultimate price, and then getting back to their day of fun in the sun. They live each and every day with a heavy heart as they remember their fallen loved ones.
This isn’t to say that there’s nothing but darkness in their lives. Although sad, they are also proud of the sacrifice that was made by their father, mother, sibling, friend, or otherwise. Say what you will about the conflicts we find ourselves involved in during these modern times; these men and women died fighting for something they believed in and took an oath to protect at any cost, including their lives.
Some of us need to read that last sentence over and over again until it sticks. They went into these conflicts not only knowing that it could be their last, but they did so without hesitation. There is no higher honor, and they deserve so much more than a mere day of remembrance. We owe them a debt that cannot be repaid and we, myself included, can do better by carrying a bit more of the true weight that these families tend to carry on their own throughout each year.
Many, many years ago, I worked with a high school kid named Joseph Fite. Joseph was a quiet kid, but a very diligent worker. He was always respectful and willing to do anything asked of him. We didn’t work together long, but he left a lasting impression on me. Years later, I learned that he’d joined The Marines. This didn’t surprise me at all, and I was proud to know that a kid like that was a member of our Armed Forces. I was eating dinner one night while the local news played in the next room. I could see the television from my seat at the table and I will never forget my heart sinking into my stomach as I saw Joseph’s picture on the screen. On January 9th, 2005, he was in Anbar Province during Operation Iraqi Freedom, when a suicide bomber in a vehicle started speeding towards Joseph’s checkpoint. Without hesitation, Joseph stood in front of the checkpoint, and he and his fellow soldiers opened fire on the vehicle as it sped towards them. Unfortunately, the suicide bomber was successful in his mission and Joseph was killed in action as a result. I was sick to my stomach as the newscaster told the story of Joseph’s death, and I still think of him often today. I think of his family and how they must wonder what would have come of him if he would have lived. I think of their pain, their pride, and their sacrifice as they watched their son embark on his tour of duty, hopeful for a safe return but aware that he might not make it back.
Now, take this story and multiply it exponentially. How many families live with this pain? How many have received that dreaded knock at the door? How many families wonder what their loved one would be like today? How many families cry at the tombstone of their fallen loved one?
These families do not deserve to bear this pain alone. Their loved ones didn’t die for them, they died for all of us. There’s nothing that angers me more than to see average, everyday Americans take these sacrifices for granted, especially when they shrug it off as “just something that happens”. We as Americans can do better. We can carry some of the burden. We can invite some of this pain into our hearts and minds as we hold the fallen in the highest regard with an immovable respect and gratitude for the sacrifice made to ensure that the guiding principle of FREEDOM continues to flourish and inspire others throughout the world. Yes, this country of ours faces some incredibly difficult and uncertain roads ahead and WE must relearn how to see each other as one rather than choosing sides. The founding ideals of this country are unmatched in the history of the world. Never has there been a greater cause to give one’s life for. It should hurt us all deeply to know that, in essence, we lose one of our own every time a soldier falls. We are a UNITED people. We walk together, we work together, we live together, and we die together, all under the same flag.
I don’t know about you, but our flag means something to me. It invokes tremendous emotion in me and it offers a crystal clear reminder that we are indeed a united people. It’s everywhere you go. Even in these divisive times, no matter how we identify politically, we all fly the same flag. Think about that for a second, and then think about what that flag must have meant to every fallen soldier since the inception of this country. Makes our petty differences seem pretty silly, huh?
So please, enjoy the day tomorrow; Just don’t let the depth of its meaning escape you. Remember the fallen and embrace their sacrifice. Whether you realize it or not, those men and women were thinking of you as they went head first into battle. They were thinking of you, your family, your friends, maybe not by name, but the oath that they took to protect your freedom was taken for you and every other American that walks freely across this incredible nation. We should feel honored to have such a commitment bestowed upon us. A commitment to make sure that their sacrifices are not and never will be made in vain.
Today and every day, we remember our fallen and pay tribute to their ultimate and selfless sacrifice.