Close to Nowhere

Memorial Day is just around the corner and many of us are looking forward to the day off to spend the weekend fishing or grilling out or playing football — just goofing off and relaxing. And that’s a good thing.

I found an interesting article on Memorial Day recently. We all vaguely know about Memorial Day — honoring our country’s fallen military.

I never really thought about Memorial Day until after Pop and I married. His dad Clifford was a member of The Frayser (Memphis, Tenn.) VFW and very patriotic. The first Memorial Day we were married, Clifford took the entire family to the National Cemetery for the VFW observance. I’d never heard of one, Clifford and family went every year.

I stole the article from the Internet. It was written by Rachel Engel for the website www.police1com. I have excerpted it for space.

Five things not to do on Memorial Day

This is not Christmas — Memorial Day was not founded in joy with the promise of bringing glee each year. It was established as a way for the country to set aside time to honor the troops who had given their lives in service to America.

In 1868, Gen. John Logan declared the day for “the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, (the Civil War) and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.”

Don’t thank the current troops. At least, don’t thank them just because it’s Memorial Day. They deserve respect and gratitude every day of the year, but this day is set aside specifically for America’s fallen warriors from every war.

America’s veterans are honored during November on Veteran’s Day, when we aim to remember and appreciate the sacrifices of all veterans. But, Memorial Day allows the country to focus on those service members who are no longer with us ­ an important distinction.

Don’t disregard its importance. Though discounts abound for nearly everything from cars to furniture to pool supplies, that’s not what the holiday is about. When we focus only on the backyard barbecues or discounts on refrigerators, we allow the true meaning to become lost. Particularly when the country has perpetually been at war some where for years, this isn’t something we should allow to happen.

Grill some amazing steaks, and find the perfect mattress on sale, just don’t forget to raise a glass in honor of those servicemen and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Don’t forget it exists. Even worse than allowing the day to become synonymous with deep discounts and potato salad, is letting it slip from the public’s mind completely. When it becomes simply a highly-anticipated extra morning of sleeping in, instead of the day of reflection and appreciation it was meant to be, we disrespect our fallen troops.

Don’t let politics keep you from rendering respect. Even if you don’t agree with the idea of war, or the reasons America goes to war, or the policies of a particular president who was the Commander in Chief during a specific war, it doesn’t matter. People have defended the people and interests of America for over 200 years, and your right to disagree with the reasons for war should be separate from your opinion of the troops themselves.

Enjoy the day. Respectfully.

Linda Jones of Laws Hill is a former staff writer for The South Reporter. She is retired but continues her weekly column.