Memorial Day
Tomorrow is Memorial Day. And it is no longer just like any other Memorial Day.
Once, while watching the parade of veterans down the street, I thought that wouldn't it be nice that one day there would be no veterans of wars marching down the street? That the men and women in the parades served, but never saw?
Unfortunately, that isn't likely to be the case. This Memorial day there will be new graves to decorate, and the cause of death will not be only old age, but combat.
Back in October, I wrote about Jeremy Hodge. All of twenty years of age, whose grave will be decorated this day by family,friends, comrades and strangers. Another name in the roll call. Another man who is twenty forever.
A&E broadcast a documentary about the Ohio Marine unit, L (Lima) Company from Columbus. Watch it and then remember the men on Memorial Day.
I met a WWII veteran the other day. He had no clue about Iraq. His experiences of that war clouded his knowledge of this one. All he could say is that we are in another Vietnam. This gets so tiring. We are not in another Vietnam. The enemy over there are not communists intent on combining two fractured countries. There is no Hanoi, no Ho Chi Min trail.
There just isn't a comparision. This is a different war. Very different.
But one thing is still the same.
Soldiers die.
Once, while watching the parade of veterans down the street, I thought that wouldn't it be nice that one day there would be no veterans of wars marching down the street? That the men and women in the parades served, but never saw?
Unfortunately, that isn't likely to be the case. This Memorial day there will be new graves to decorate, and the cause of death will not be only old age, but combat.
Back in October, I wrote about Jeremy Hodge. All of twenty years of age, whose grave will be decorated this day by family,friends, comrades and strangers. Another name in the roll call. Another man who is twenty forever.
A&E broadcast a documentary about the Ohio Marine unit, L (Lima) Company from Columbus. Watch it and then remember the men on Memorial Day.
I met a WWII veteran the other day. He had no clue about Iraq. His experiences of that war clouded his knowledge of this one. All he could say is that we are in another Vietnam. This gets so tiring. We are not in another Vietnam. The enemy over there are not communists intent on combining two fractured countries. There is no Hanoi, no Ho Chi Min trail.
There just isn't a comparision. This is a different war. Very different.
But one thing is still the same.
Soldiers die.
posted by our family | 7:42 AM
1 Comments:
I recently wrote an editorial about Memorial day it was about how some have forgotten the true meaning of this day. I dedicated this writing to Jeremy, he was a vibrant and humorous guy very unforgetable. The sad thing is he is buried only 10 miles away and there is no tombstone marking his grave. It is full of flowers and a flag that flies above it 24/7. His family has seen fit to only make vinyl pictures of him for their tailgates and personilized plates for their trucks. They refitted his truck with life size vinly of him and patriotic themes with the money he left them. Maybe i am wrong but it just doesn't seem right not to not mark his grave but to memorialize him on a truck. Maybe they have ordered something special for a maker but he has been gone since October of 2005 and it is wrong not to have anything. To Jeremy my brother in arms till we meet in fiddlers green.
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