US Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, France. On the bluffs overlooking Omaha Beach, Normandy, contains the remains of 9,387 American military dead, most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing military operations in World War II. The graves face westward, towards the United States. Strangely, nobody considered such numbers of dead to be indicative of a "quagmire" or called for the withdrawal of US forces prematurely.
BG Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. didn't have to be on the Normandy Beaches... but he knew it was the right place to be.“Greater love hath no man than this, that he give his life for his friends.” – John, 15:13
The drum rolls.
The toll:
In the 20th Century and the first decade of the 21st, over 625, 000 American servicemen and women paid the ultimate price in combat. (Source: Congressional Research Service)
How many potential Nobel laureates were among those numbers? How many scientists that would discover medical cures; artists who would inspire and awe. How many who would discover things to make our lives better, longer or more meaningful?
It is meaningless to analyze (as some have anyway) the demographic breakout of those who died. The races, religions, genders, economic strata they came from. In death, they are equally exalted as heroes, regardless of their background. They gave their last full measure of devotion for our country and our way of life.
More importantly, how does a nation honor such heroes?
In the United States of America, we set aside the last Monday in May as Memorial Day to honor and commemorate those that paid the ultimate price for our freedom. One day in 365. It hardly seems enough.
But we are a nation of short attention spans, and shallower knowledge of history, by and large. Even that one day a year all too often becomes an excuse for a party, or the first trip to the beach, or a trip to the mall. How many of our countrymen don't even realize what the holiday is really for?
Sad. Disrespectful. Dishonorable.
But perhaps, just perhaps, through no true reasoning or fault of their own... the oblivious masses and the rest of us who show such little respect and admiration for what they sacrificed for us are the penultimate honor and tribute to their devotion.
That we can go about our lives, generally free of fear from tyranny and oppression. That we can take off from work whole weekends and weeks. That we can travel freely throughout our country, and indeed through much of the world. That we have the ability and freedom to work where we want, study at a college of our choice, spend our incomes on the material things we want... actually speaks volumes about the sacrifices made on our behalf.
These 625,000 men and women; predominately young and with their whole lives in front of them; traded their tomorrows so that we can wallow in our oblivious lives, enjoying our today's and planning for our own tomorrows. In their deaths, they displayed the pure, unadulterated love of country and their fellow countrymen that only such sacrifices reveal.
General George S. Patton, Jr. once said "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived."
Is it a shame that we don't better and more fully honor those that gave up all their tomorrows? Absolutely, it is. But maybe in some small measure, we are still honoring them by just living.
So, in living our lives, perhaps we are indeed celebrating Memorial Day every day.
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