Memorial Day

In Memory of SFC Delmar Brown…  A soldier, a husband, and a father

          The history of Memorial Day started in the 1860’s with the decoration in our national cemeteries of the graves of those who died fighting the great civil war. Although in Waterloo, New York was officially credited with the first traditions.  Since then it has become more the tradition to mark the day as the start of summer.  Allen West said, “Nowadays, many Americans have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day.  At cemeteries across the country, the graves of the fallen are sadly ignored, and worse neglected." Today though I want to take a moment to remind you of the real importance.

          Everyday in nations far from our shores, men and women stand guard at a post. They march into unforeseen dangers. They provide training and protections to other nations.  They are our sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, fathers and mothers, and spouses.  They proudly represent the United States.  They make sacrifices of their time, their family lives, and their personal comfort to fulfill the cause they were instructed to do by our Commander in Chief as they have for the last 237 years.  They have taken up arms to answer the patriotic call of our nation.  The job they do everyday allows us the freedom to be here home in safety and security.  While some of protest guns and wars, you have that right at the expense of the many that have given their very lives to defend that way of life.  Freedom even in limited forms is NOT FREE. These men and women pay the cost so the rest of us do not have to.

          In the national cemeteries across our country today, it is a day to remember the heroes that have fallen. Did you know that the national time for the moment of silence is 3 pm?  Amongst the parades and barbecues, have you given a prayer or said thank you to a veteran  in remembrance? You do not have to support war or the current government. You do not have to believe in the cause, all that is required is a simple thank you or a simple prayer to not e that you remember and you appreciate the sacrifice made by the fallen heroes.

          This grave occasion has been weighing on my mind this week. I am reminded that my father died twenty years ago.  He is laid to rest at Quantico National Cemetery. He is the veteran of a very unpopular armed, conflict in the country of Vietnam.  I remember as a young woman the only conversation we really had in depth about the war, he told me stories about how sad it was to return to this country as an injured man to be spit upon by protesters.  He told me tearfully that he lost good friends there and he while it was an awful place and time, it was easier than returning to a country he defended to be treated like a criminal by its people.  I felt the strength of his convictions for having gone to do what he felt he was led to do and the sorrow of the burden of the time he spent there. As he hung up, he said that he missed a great deal of my young life but he hoped someday I would understand.  I can honestly say I do understand that he was a man of honor and that was his mission. Many of you today will have similar stories.  It is not easy as a  child to understand nor as an adult to explain. Some would say it is the life they chose but I prefer to think of it as the calling that chose them.

          Some of you will look upon the day as Decoration Day, not just for the fallen soldiers but also for the loved ones that passed. As I was sorting through the many family pictures entrusted into my care, the faces of my aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents were there with many bright smiles but so many of them have gone now.  We have all drifted to our own corners of the earth. A precious few of us are reuniting and remembering the value of family.  To those that have expired, you are as loved today as you were then.  We commit to memory all the things that you were in life to each of us and until we meet again we will hold fast to the reminiscences that you left behind. 

          Today is a unique somber holiday.  Its value is slowly being distorted. I hope that you will take a moment and reflect.  Explain the flags to your children.  Teach them about the cost of freedom and the value of patriotism.  It is not just about the acts of terrorism in our borders but about the men and women who so valiantly uphold our cause all over the world. The Infantrymen that fight our battles on domestic and foreign grounds, the Airmen that fly our planes in the skies above all around the world, the Seamen that guard our shores on great vessels above and below the water, they are the unsung heroes we need to speak to our children about.  Spend a moment and thank them, remember them.  Pray for those that are left here missing them.  To those that departed this life, we miss you.  Your memories fill our hearts and minds. We thank you for your sacrifices.  We applaud you for your gallantry.  We thank you for your service.