Honoring Those Who Sacrifice
When I was a kid Memorial Day was nothing but another day with a parade. Though I knew what it was about it wasn’t until years later I began to really understand the importance of the day. After learning more about history and discovering a deeper interest in America’s past-time, Memorial Day morphs into something more important. It becomes a day to remember and honor. It becomes something that makes a little more sense.
Daddy Pundit has a photo and story that appeared on the National Review Online website. It is a sad story but it reminds us of the sacrifices our men and women overseas are making for this country. It not only reminds us of our current soldiers but those who fought in all the wars leading up to this time. From the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, up through WWI and WWII, the Korean and Vietnam wars, and present day conflicts around the globe. War affects families, lives, and an entire nation.
Below is a small excerpt of the story.
MURFREESBORO —Heather Southward Golczynski pulled six more letters out of her mailbox Tuesday, sent from across the nation by people touched by her husband’s sacrifice and her son’s courage.
Her husband, Marine Staff Sgt. Marcus “Marc” Golczynski, was killed in Iraq on March 27. At his funeral in April, Daily News Journal photographer Aaron Thompson captured Marc Golczynski’s teary-eyed son, 8-year-old Christian, accepting a U.S. flag from his father’s casket.
It was a picture of a moment that moved many Americans and stirred national interest in the Golczynskis’ story.
“I see all of Marc’s heart in him. I’m proud he stood up,” Heather Golczynski said of the now-famous photograph. “Even in the absolute sadness of it all, he was a brave kid — he has the heart of his daddy.”
-sillydad
I think the real focus of Memorial Day should not just be on the sacrifice made by our soldiers, but rather on the destructive nature of warfare itself and how these sacrifices should not remembered as made only for protection of the homeland, but in the hope that such sacrifices will prevent future fighting and loss of life. Remembering those who died is great and their sacrifice is huge, but holidays like this sometimes take on a militaristic glorification of warfare tone which degrades the sacrifices made. Wars should be glorified, they should be viewed shamefully, even when you have fought on the side of justice. They are shameful in that they represent the failure of mankind in carrying out the one commandment that matters, love they neighbor as thyself (paraphrasing). Warfare is not good it breeds immorality and attracts individuals of ill repute.
June 5th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
oh, sorry I forget to add that while in warfare it is necessary to kill, any loss of life whether enemy or not should be viewed as a tragedy. Remember, God loves all people no matter what they have done. At times people will need to kill, especially in warfare, however it is often trivialized as just an enemy. Remember everyone has parents and siblings and people that love them and people they love. And most importantly, God loves everyone, so we must be careful not to trivialize the lives of anyone who dies. And we should seek to use moments like memorial day and veterans day to reflect on how we as human beings, not just as Americans, can take action to hopefully prevent more bllodshed in the future.
June 5th, 2007 at 1:47 pm