Thoughts This Memorial Day

I think I’ve gone through nearly 10 drafts trying to share my thoughts with the BakitWhy.com family about Memorial Day.  I would come to a stop somewhere, thinking that maybe the blog post is getting to personal, or maybe it’s just too much to even share.  But ultimately, the goal I had aimed for, was to share with you, the reader, my thoughts on what Memorial Day is about.  You see, I’m a firm believer that if it weren’t for the men and women who had given their lives in battle, the sales, trips to the beach, and the neighborhood barbecues would not be possible.  I probably say that with a little bias since I was raised as a US Navy dependent, and from my service as a Marine.

Like many veterans, I don’t like to discuss my deployment much, or even what I’ve seen.  We all have our own reasons.  My experiences as a Marine have given me a unique perspective that few have experienced, which I’ll briefly share with you this Memorial Day.

I served in Iraq as a Mortuary Affairs Specialist, and back here in the US, I participated in and performed funeral honors for Marine veterans who have passed away.  By 23, I probably have seen things that your inner-city coroner had never seen.  At 26, I’ve probably attended more funerals than your average 26-year-old.  When performing military funerals, no matter how much you try to desensitize yourself to what is happening, it never gets any easier listening to the playing of Taps, or looking a Marine’s next-of-kin in the face, maintaining military bearing, presenting them a folded American flag, saying to them “On behalf of the President of the United States, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and a grateful nation, please accept this Flag as a symbol of our appreciation for [your loved one’s] service to country, and Corps.”

It’s always heartwarming to hear about homecomings and reunions of families and their service member, but its sometimes easy to overlook those who came home but never got to see or hold their loved ones again.  These are the family members who came home in a flag-draped casket.  That reality came to a family of a Marine one Thanksgiving morning.  They received word that their son had been killed in Iraq, which was weeks after he had arrived in country.  Along with a colleague, I had the privilege of escorting them in the Washington, D.C. area while they buried their son in Arlington National Cemetery.  I’ve been part of many funeral details before, but watching this funeral detail was different.  The Marine pall bearers carried his casket from the hearse to the burial site, raised it up, and lowered it to the ground as a symbol that “We are the last to ever let you down.”  A rifle detail fired off a 21-gun salute, and a lone bugler played taps off in the distance.  This family was proud of their son, the Marine.  I remember thinking to myself that he had just barely started living his life.

But if it wasn’t for men and women from generations past, and men and women like him for future generations, we wouldn’t be where we are today.  Regardless of your opinion on today’s state of war, I’m sure you’ll agree that our lives would be different if we had lost WWII, or if the United States of America had not defeated the Confederate States of America, or even if we had lost the Revolutionary War.  It is for all of these men and women, that we have Memorial Day.

As you enjoy the deep discounts at the department stores, chow down on that burger, or lay out on the beach, I hope you are able to reflect on what Memorial Day means.  I’d like to close out with a quote from a friend whom I had served with.  This came from his op-ed piece, which was published in The Washington Post in reaction to the death of Osama bin Laden.

“For a moment, turn off your mind, like I had to in Iraq. Turn off the politics…. Just cheer for the troops. Cheer for your country. And remember the fallen.”