Member-only story
Memorial Day: Some Reflections.
I started writing a few words about Memorial Day. I wasn’t sure how to start, to be honest. True to my instincts, or perhaps defense mechanisms, I wanted to intellectualize the holiday. You know how some of the essays about the holiday seem to browbeat people, civilians usually, into thinking of those who died rather than seeing the day as the start of summer, or just another day off. Usually, posts like these have a couple different intentions. One kind looks at the sacrifice as a reason to keep silent about current policies. Another kind looks at sacrifice as a reason to speak up about war and the senseless loss of life and deep wounding.wounds that occur, physically and psychologically.
Martial celebrations tend to obfuscate more than anything and the thought that only those in uniform have sacrificed is wrong-headed. Freedoms have been gained in many ways.
Nevertheless, as I looked through some of these articles, I had the idea of asking my friends and the internet their thoughts on the holiday. Both veterans and civilians replied. Some remembered the fallen, while some thought of the day as time to be with loved ones. Is there a true Memorial Day?
