A Day to Remember
May 26th, 2008 by Edmund Snyder · 4 Comments
Memorial Day was first celebrated to honor the war dead from the American Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include those who had fallen in any war. Today it has sort of devolved to a day of picnicking and auto racing.
Living in a military community, the meaning of the holiday is much more observable. It’s supposed to be a day where we contemplate those who die in war. Well, there is quite a lot to contemplate.
My job is teaching. I teach electronics to young Sailors and Marines. One of the things I wonder sometimes when I’m in front of one of my classes discussing transistors, is how many of the people sitting in those seats won’t be around in a few months–another casualty of our continued occupation of Iraq.
On the other hand, when I’m at home, I can’t help but imagine that my wife, a Navy Corpsman, could be sent to a combat zone pretty much at any time. Any of my students or my wife could become the next of the roughly 4,000 young men and women who will never return.
When I think of what it would be like to raise my two young sons without their mother, I think about all of the war dead who had young children who will never know their mother or father. Dad will never get to teach them how to bait a hook, how to start a campfire, how to throw a football. Mom will never get to lecture them about how important it is to enunciate their words (sorry, Mom, I couldn’t resist).
I have all these great memories of the things my mother and father did for me and taught me. So many kids won’t have that.
And why won’t they have that? The neo-Cons want us to believe that it is to protect our security. Yet, the vast majority (including the CIA) recognizes that our involvement in the affairs of other nations puts us at higher risk. So what’s the real reason? Cheap oil? Have you compared the price of a barrel of oil today to the price at the start of this war? If that’s the purpose then it isn’t working.
Recently, I read an article about the billions of unaccounted dollars that the Defense Department has misplaced. That is BILLIONS of dollars. And there is the real reason. It’s usually the reason for wars–money, property, and power.
So to all you war orphans, you’ll never get to have those great memories of your Mom because a few people wanted to have a lot of money and power, but they didn’t want to earn it.
Our military housing authority is having a contest where people can submit essays about what Memorial Day means. I should submit this–somehow I don’t think it would win.
Tags: Ed's Articles · Homeschooling / Education · Personal Growth · Political
4 responses so far ↓
1
suchlovelyfreckles
// May 26, 2008 at 2:38 pm
It might not win, but it’ll make people think. It’ll open some eyes and win over some hearts. I know I got somewhat teary eyed, reading your post.
2
m2m514
// May 26, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Your one of the best writers I have ever known, reading this made makes me really want to thank you for all you’ve taught me and for all the moments we’ve spent together. If some reading this can’t feel true feeling they haven’t read it fully. Perhaps those who are are in the military who believe there is reason to this war won’t agree with you. Although, I believe the ones, running the contest (the ones with children) will feel heart and you’ll win by a landslide!!
In my mind, it’s perfect and you should SO enter it! (If you wanted to know my opinion.)
3
Betty
// May 27, 2008 at 5:31 am
I so agree with you. Saddam was never a threat to us or anyone else . We were all so fooled. The bush’s and Cheny and Halibaster are making a fortune while our young men are killed in vain.
War is never a good solution to anything. We need a peace maker in the white house.
Thanks for the article. To me memorial day is a day to remember all my loved ones who have passed on in this world. I do not know of anyone personally who died in war but my youngest son age 28 was murdered by some stranger just because he wanted to kill him. That was 14 years ago .His case has never been solved so I know what losing a son is all about and you never forget them and your life is never the same ever again. Thank You
Betty in Ky
4
Edmund Snyder
// May 27, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Freckles,
Thanks for your kind words. I’m glad that people were touched by what I wrote. I was really only shooting for making people think about the sacrifices that others are making in vain.
M2M,
Thank you. You are a little biased, though, but I appreciate your sentiments. The times I have spent with you are exactly the things I was talking about. Those things that some children will never get to experience because one of their parents will never come back home. I’m very glad that I got to come back home after my time in the Gulf War.
Betty,
It’s a shame that the only two candidates who were peacemakers were shunned and laughed out of their respective primaries. But I think people are catching on (witness Ron Paul’s book being #1 best seller) and it won’t be long before we have more rational people in the high offices.
Sorry to hear about your son.
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