Memorial Day - What Am I Supposed To Remember?

That question is from a movie I watched today called, Memorial Day, starring James Cromwell. On Memorial Day in the United States, we remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives in military service.

Calendar-wise, it marks the unofficial start of Summer, and so a lot of folks go to the beach, have barbecues, and so on. Many attend parades to honor those fallen veterans, and others pay their respects at cemeteries and veteran monuments all over the country. Some try to do all of the above.

When I was a kid, I fell more into the beach and barbecue camp. Once I became a veteran, I found myself more and more asking myself, "what am I supposed to remember?" It never came in those words, but those words best capture the sentiment. I've never seen real combat. No one I knew personally (that I'm aware of) ever died in combat. Still, as someone who has served, all soldiers, past, present and future, are my comrades. I don't have to have known them personally, or even tangentially. All that is required is that they took the same oath I did.

I'm not much for parades, so I found myself at Oak Grove Cemetery paying my respects to some one hundred or so World War I veterans from Medford, Massachusetts. My habit as of the last few years is to see if I recognize a last name. It's a small world, so maybe I know one of their descendants. I think I might have today. Even if I didn't, so what?

After watching the movie, I too found myself looking at the "souvenirs" (for lack of a better word) of my time in the military, and more importantly the stories behind them.

While not all Americans are veterans, every American who isn't, knows, is related to, has seen, or is somehow connected to a veteran. These non-veterans may have never though to ask, "what am I supposed to remember?" If they are haven't, one day I pray they will.