Tomorrow is Memorial Day, "a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties while serving in the United States Armed Forces.[2]" Although my father served in both WWII and the Korean "police action," and my father-in-law served in WWII, neither "died in the performance of their military duties," for which their families are grateful. However, both men have now passed on and we tend to remember them as much or more so on Memorial Day as on Veteran's Day, perhaps because Veteran's Day rarely triggers a three day weekend at the beginning of summer and is often overshadowed by Thanksgiving two weeks afterwards.
 |
| Memorial Day poppies |
When I was young and living in Massachusetts with my family of origin, I remember seeing, and hearing, military honor guards firing salutes at various cemeteries on Memorial Day. Since we've no family members interred in Minnesota, we've not visited any cemetery on Memorial Day or any other time. Our remembrances tend toward the private kind rather than a public honoring of those who deserve to be remembered for their sacrifices to protect their country.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
********************************************
Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.
No comments:
Post a Comment