A day for honoring those we have lost

5/26/08
When does it end?
When do we stop adding by the hundreds each year names to be remembered on Memorial Day?
This country recently marked the five-year anniversary of the start of our war in Iraq, and the fight in Afghanistan has gone on even longer. U.S. troops by the thousands are dead, and citizens on all sides of the political spectrum are wondering how long it will continue.
The answer, as usual, is for the foreseeable future, at least.
It’s not a question of politics; it’s not about who was right and who was wrong. It’s about understanding the debilitating pain of a dead soldier’s family, and standing in awe of the sacrifices we ask of people for the sake of their country. It is the most a society can ask of a person, to kill or be killed for the sake of others. It cannot be a task taken lightly.
So as we pause today to remember all who came before — from the hills of Massachusetts in our own War of Independence; to the fields of Gettysburg in our nation’s darkest hour, the Civil War; to far-flung battlefields in Europe, Africa, Asia and tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean — we also remember those who fight and sacrifice today.
Even with the nation at war, the day’s meaning can get lost amid all the mattress sales and cookouts. But there’s more to Memorial Day than a picnic and the Indianapolis 500. It’s not too much to ask for people to take a few minutes and remember why it is they have a day off from work (if they’re so lucky) and who gave everything for their country.
In addition to today’s daily losses on the battle front, this nation is also losing men and women who gave everything in World War II. The youngest members of that generation in their 80s by now, and official reports say they’re dying at a rate of about 1,000 a day. In 10 years, there may not be any World War II veterans left.
As they leave us, we lose an unlimited repository of wisdom and life experience. They also take with them the memories of the friends and family they lost, on the battlefield and in their own pasts. Each life lost is meaningful, and each affects us in its own way. Our own journey becomes that much more difficult with each life lost in a faraway battle.
But as we reflect today, we can also, just for a change, put aside our differences. There are always those who try to divide us, to fit us into one or another preconceived group that, in their minds, can only disagree about the ways of the world. For a day, let us try to unite in our remembrances, to pay tribute to those who have fallen as one.
This, of course, is an election year — though lately it seems every year is an election year. But that being the case, we are reminded every day of the things that keep us apart, rather than those that bring us together. To grow as a nation, we must reject those who seek to divide us, whether by pitting one part of America against another, or by betraying the fundamental principles our nation was founded on.
For a day, in their honor, we can look past those who say anyone who disagrees with them is “endangering America,” or that, by virtue of a difference of opinion, is not interested in the security of the American people. We all want what’s best for ourselves, our families and our country. Many of us have different ideas on how to get there. Thinking differently does not equal treason, despite what the most pernicious among us would have us believe.
Such statements make our nation weaker, and they also do a disservice to the people who died for our nation, whom we honor today. They died for their nation, for all of us, not a select few. Today, we stand as one in grief for their loss, but in thanks for all they gave us.
And we hope that someday we will stop adding new names to remember every year.