Memorial Day for us is not a day of celebration, it’s a day of reflection. However, I will not begrudge those that choose to celebrate the lives of these young men and women and not their deaths.

When you go to any memorial service most are not speaking/dwelling on how their loved one died. They’re sharing the memories, stories of their lives. Including other soldiers that served with them.

They should not be forgotten, if it wasn’t for them most of us not only wouldn’t be here, we also wouldn’t have all the freedoms we take for granted everyday.

I agree with some of what you’re saying, but without these days how much less would they have? How much easier would it be to take many more rights/protections from them?

Any Nation that forgets not only the hero’s that have sacrificed all they had to give, but the unsung hero’s that have made that country what it is…is a forgotten Nation that doesn’t deserve to be remembered.

(The CIA, FBI, Police, Firemen, the civilians that risks their lives to pull someone from the water that is drowning, that pulls a person from a burning home, etc)

Memorial Day isn’t just for the soldier, it’s for all those that sacrificed all they had to give for this country. The people that took back control of the hijacked plane on 9/11. The people that helped to pull people from the buildings in Oklahoma and New York….it’s a day of remembrance for all those that should NEVER be forgotten.

I’d gladly serve again for those freedoms.

But, today was a day to remember all those that sacrificed all they had to give. We watched a couple Memorials. Had a cook-out. Then, we had a moment of silence and reflection to remember both my cousins who lost their lives in Iraq. We said a prayer for those that served and are still serving this country with honor, pride, courage, and love for this great country. We also gave thanks for the sacrifices they made/make everyday for each of us. Then we lit a candle in remembrance.

Avertedd – You’re welcome

We watched “Patton” on TV. There is one scene located in Italy on a battlefield where many bodies are lying ripped apart by shells and George C Scott as Patton says, “God I love war” or something to that effect. I don’t know if that was fictional or an account of something actually said by Patton. Does anyone know?

If it is true, I refuse to believe military leaders usually feel as he did. Surely the best leaders hate war and don’t relish sending men and women to their death and the best political leaders don’t lead our country into war without a strong imperative.

The Constitution gives the authority to declare war to congress only. It’s very specific. When was the last time our Congress declared war? I believe it was WW2. All other wars are unconstitutional. Our soldiers take a oath to serve trusting the government to be wise and careful when sending them into combat.

Just in case anyone thinks Memorial Day is not an appropriate occasion to discuss the legality of some of the wars our country has fought, I will say to you there is no better way to honor our soldiers than to protect them and families from politicians who squander their lives for ideology or power.

Hide the caskets and give no public recognition of the sacrifice to avoid reminding us of the cost of war so we can go shopping to save the economy from a catastrophe without guilt. Fire missiles and drop bombs so you never see the faces as I believe woodiej story so elegantly illustrated.

My Uncle Bill is one of the survivors of Iwo Jima still alive today. He lives in a small town in Texas and he is invited every year to march in the Memorial Day parade as the only resident of that town still living who fought in the Great War. He has to travel 70miles to Dallas for medical treatment covered by his VA benefits and his medicine.

I thought about him today. It’s so hard for him to go to the VA hospital and he can no longer march or even ride in the parade. According to my father, Uncle Bill has never talked about his experience in the war, but he’s always been a quiet man unlike his seven younger brothers who are very gregarious and outgoing. I know the VA does everything it can to help vets, but they aren’t ever high on the list of concerns in Washington.

Excuse my rant Susan, but I feel the best way to “Support Our Troops” is not flag-waving. Paying attention when congress or the president suggests cutting VA benefits and demanding an accounting BEFORE we go to war is the best way to honor those thousands of names on war memorials and those who wear the uniform of our country today and risk their lives in other countries. And as someone quoted Forest Gump on another thread, “That’s all I have to say about that”.