Memorial Day is for remembering and honoring military members who died in the line of duty. I used to think it was for any military members who were gone. Nope. Line of duty only. Okay, so I don't really know any of those personally.
I've had a lot of my family that were in the service in one branch or another. Many of them are gone. Dad... Great Uncle Ray... Uncle Barney... Great Uncle Franny. None of those died in the service. (Although Mom says one cousin died shortly after he came home from Vietnam due to his exposure to Agent Orange, which ought to count, imo.)
Then I remembered Orville*. Orville was the nephew of one of my great grandfathers.
He was missing in action/lost at sea in the Pacific Theatre in July of 1945. His bomber group was flying missions out of Alaska and it seems like he might've been lost during a bombing run over some islands where the planes somehow ended up in the USSR. That's about all I can find out about him this morning, other than he's got a grave marker in Arlington and his name's on the site for MIA military in Honolulu.
Anyway, this is a day for remembering those who gave up their lives to defend our country. Like they say 'we don't know them all, but we owe them all'. We Americans owe them, and so do a lot of people in a lot of other countries that we defended over the years.
So, as you're out there today, having a barbeque or doing whatever it is people do on this holiday, take a moment and think about those men and women who made it possible for you to do what you're doing. No guilt attached. Really. I don't think they would want that. Enjoy your lives, but remember. And remember to do everything in your power to make sure it never happens again.
*his last name is blurred out for reasons and account of because.
I always remember what today is for. Lots of veterans in the family and some probably were KIA. None in my immediate memory. My grandfather was medically discharged after a heart attack brought on by Spanish flu in WWI. My dad was 4F but was an engineer at Boeing and helped design the B-17, and did work on the B-29 so I consider that service. My brother was Air Force during Viet Nam but he did his time at a stateside AF base a 2-hour drive from home. Anyway...
ReplyDeleteThat's a cool story about the nephew. What a book that would make! Only he'd need to survive after a harrowing escape with his crewmates.
I plan to write today but you know what they say about the best laid plans...
Enjoy your day. Later, tater.