Maybe you like President Trump. Or maybe you don’t.
Irrespective of which opinion you hold, however, neither one – without more – will get you arrested, indicted or imprisoned, unlike elsewhere in the world where criticism of the government or the current leader(s) might cause you to vanish without a trace.
Today is the one day each year set aside to remember why that is.
Not the 4th of July: The 4th is a day to celebrate the principles on which this country was founded.
Today is the day we remember the men and women who laid down their lives defending those principles.
Approximately 658,000 lives lost in battle, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Approximately 658,000 individual futures sacrificed for this country’s future. And for ours.
Today is the day for remembering that.
And for being grateful.
To read or post comments, click on title.
4 comments so far
Succinct. Sincere. Spot-on.
Yesterday I heard (or read on FB) people thanking living veterans for their service because the thankers apparently did not know the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Thank you for pointing out the meaning of Memorial Day, by which I would hope at least some of the thankers might learn to get it right.
BNON:
While I understand and appreciate the difference between the days, I guess I wonder why it appears to irk you so much. Isn’t it a good thing if people thank some living veterans that they see on memorial day? While I was mindful of those who sacrificed their lives for our country and their families, I also went to the parade where the entire crowd cheered and gave thanks to many veterans from as far back as WWII who participated in the parade. How is that a bad thing?
anon on 05.29.18 5:24 pm.
Memorial Day has an origin, a purpose and a history very different from Veterans Day. They should not be conflated, just like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day should not be conflated. The fact that some people don’t know the difference and conflate them out of ignorance (because there is no other way to do so) is not something I indulge.
I have a couple of good friends who served in Vietnam and they are more attuned to the distinction than I am because they had friends who never got back here to be thanked for their service but sure earned being remembered one day a year.
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