Why Set Aside a Day to Remember the Dead Soldiers/Why is Memorial Day Important?

Historically, in the aftermath of a nation at war every community was touched with the loss of life of some young man or woman. Why would a country want to recognize soldiers who died in a struggle? Wouldn’t they rather celebrate victories and how great their military is and not talk about the dead? Why would a country set aside a day to remember their fallen soldiers? And what does Memorial Day mean to you? Do you have a personal or family story related to Memorial Day? Please share in the comments. This week all of JBB’s Daily Reflection Prompts will be about this holiday and stories about those who have served…

Why do we set aside a day as a nation to remember our war dead? Someone quoted in my FB feed Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the last part stood out to me in connection to why we set aside today to remember our fallen soldiers:

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address

We set aside this day because the work begun by the founders of this country continues and we need to do our part, in honor of the dead and so that their efforts are not for nothing. History, and especially our national history, has never been a continual climb to perfection or a fall from some former glory. It is the ongoing efforts by all of us to have a society that that the founders aspired to and shred their blood for. In some ways and for some of its citizens things have greatly improved, but there is a lot of room for improvement and there is always room for more at the table.

While my father served during the Korean conflict, my family has been fortunate to have not lost anyone then or in any of the following conflicts. I appreciate my father’s sacrifices and what he learned and believed in from his experiences in the military and I recognize some deficits in my generation having not served. My hope is that we can all learn from the sacrifices of our ancestors and not have to repeat their history. That may not be doable, but I continue to hope that blood is not required for our society to continue forward. That is my hope for my son and my granddaughters, that we learn from our ancestors and not have to have wars or armed conflicts to resolve our challenges. The lyrics of a song comes to mind…

Russians by Sting

In Europe and America there's a growing feeling of hysteria
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets
Mister Krushchev said, "We will bury you"
I don't subscribe to this point of view
It'd be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too
How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer's deadly toy?
There is no monopoly on common sense
On either side of the political fence
We share the same biology, regardless of ideology
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

There is no historical precedent
To put the words in the mouth of the president?
There's no such thing as a winnable war
It's a lie we don't believe anymore
Mister Reagan says, "We will protect you"
I don't subscribe to this point of view
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

We share the same biology, regardless of ideology
But what might save us, me and you
Is if the Russians love their children too

Kiss those you love… Life is too short and too precious for bullshit.

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