What Americans Can Learn from Our Friends Down Under this Memorial Day
When I hear people say “Happy Memorial Day” I too find it a bit awkward considering the real meaning of this holiday:
Allison Jaslow heard it more than once as the long holiday weekend approached — a cheerful “Happy Memorial Day!” from oblivious well-wishers.
The former Army captain and Iraq War veteran had a ready reply, telling them, matter-of-factly, that she considered it a work weekend. Jaslow will be at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to take part in the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. She’ll then visit Section 60, the final resting place of many service members who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“You can see it in people’s faces that they’re a little horrified that they forget this is what the day’s about,” said Jaslow, 34, who wears a bracelet bearing the name of a fallen comrade. “Culturally, we’ve kind of lost sight of what the day’s supposed to mean.”
While millions of Americans celebrate the long Memorial Day weekend as the unofficial start of summer — think beaches and backyard barbecues, mattress sales and sporting events — some veterans and loved ones of fallen military members wish the holiday that honors more than 1 million people who died serving their country would command more respect. [CBS 58]
In my opinion Memorial Day really should begin with a somber tone much like I have seen with ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand. Communities across both nations meet for morning remembrance services every April 25th. It is a very big deal and has a somber tone to them. After the morning service the rest of the day depending on the community there could be parades and other events going on to honor servicemembers and all of them usually involve drinking beer. So the whole day is not somber, but enough of it is so people don’t lose the real meaning of the day.
It seems if Memorial Day was on a fixed date like ANZAC Day then a tradition like this could be established in the United States as well. However, as long as it remains at its current last Monday of May it will remain a holiday that represents the unofficial start of summer for most people.
By reading the title and seeing the tombstones under it at first I thought it was a joke in bad context about fallen soldiers. 😮
LOL
Yeah I also thought he was referring to our fallen soldiers as the “friends down under”. GI sometimes comes up with some funny titles. 🙂
More seriously, I was under the impression that our Veteran’s day was more aligned with the (somber) spirit of Memorial days elsewhere.
When I was much younger, we used to go to the cemeteries where our families were buried to place flowers. The men were pretty much all veterans; but none died in a war. We talked about who they were and when they lived.
Now I live far from those plots and the rest of my family–and I am now among the oldest (only a few left of the previous generation). The wife and I spent the afternoon at a neighbor’s house enjoying food, fellowship, and the freedoms we gained from the sacrifices made for us. We talked about our families: who they were and when they lived.
May all of you enjoy a long, happy, healthy life and remember to be thankful. Today is about those who sacrificed their lives for us in war; but there are others to remember as well.
That was beautiful, Setnaffa.
My father served for 33 years (WWII, the Korean war and three tours in Vietnam). He lies next to my brother, who served in Vietnam (and died of his injuries there…not physical, it was his mind). My husband has been in over twenty and now our oldest son (18) has decided to join too. Which does not please me, candidly. But it’s the only thing he wants to do. My hope is that his brothers won’t follow suit. It’s harder to be the parent of a soldier than the child or spouse of one, in my estimation.
God bless you and yours, and everyone else at ROKDrop.
Thought this was precious, so I’ll share it, entitled,
“Innocence is Priceless”
“One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names and small American flags mounted on either side of it.
The six-year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, ‘Good morning Alex.’
‘Good morning Pastor,’ he replied, still focused on the plaque.
‘Pastor, what is this?’
The pastor said, ‘Well son, it’s a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service.’
Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque.
Finally, little Alex’s voice, barely audible and trembling with fear asked, “Which service, the 8:30 or the 11:00?”