OldTroubador's blog post - Memorial Day - repost

“And they will march straight through St. Peter’s gate, for they’ve served their time in Hell.”
Well, by the time you read this, it will be the month of May. This means many things to many people. To me, it means that at the end of the month, here in the United States, we celebrate Memorial Day. Memorial Day is set aside as a day to remember our armed forces personnel who fell during the course of battle. I can remember, as a child, being at my grandmother’s house in Pennsylvania over this weekend. We would spend Saturday and Sunday working at our cottage, getting it ready for summer – turning on the water, uncovering the furniture, things like that. But Monday, Memorial Day, was set aside for the parade to the local cemetery and the service to be held there. During the parade, all the children were allowed to march at the end of the procession as it wound up the hill to the cemetery. Once there, everyone gathered as invocations were given and a memorial wreath placed on one of the veterans’ graves. A squad from the local National Guard armory was on hand to render honors and ‘Taps’ was then played. Everyone stood silently, hats off and hands over hearts, until the last notes echoing down the valley faded into memory. At that point, the squad marched off to a drum tattoo and the children all raced to collect the brass from the honors given. The adults went to the family plots to make sure that flags and flowers were placed on the gravesites of their fallen family members. Then it was time for family and friends to gather for picnics and cookouts – the first official ones of the summer.
I mention this because it seems like many people have forgotten the true meaning of Memorial Day. It is unofficially, the first official weekend of the summer, this much is true. But it seems to me that most people are more interested in heading off to the lakes, mountains, or beaches than they are in remembering the reason for the weekend. Stores run week long sales on either end, trying to make as much money as possible from people with an extra day to shop. But they remember not why they have this extra day.
But during this time of honoring the fallen, let us not forget the living. Many on this site are veterans and many of these have lost close friends during times of conflict. Many others are now on active duty. Some have family members overseas and others will watch as their loved ones leave for training camps. It is important to remember that these men and women have bought and will continue to buy our freedom with their sacrifice of time away from loved ones. Our freedoms are underwritten with the blood spilled by those who have answered the call. Our rights are buttressed by the rows of white crosses at cemeteries around the world.
I would like to send a personal Thank You to all the servicemen and women, past and present, who read this. Thank you for your service, for your sacrifice, for the hardships you endured. And if I may, without offending too many people, I would like to offer a small prayer to all of you who have served:
May the Good Lord bless you and keep you. May He be gracious and smile upon you. May He lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.