Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Memorial Day Memorial
"HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!" one prominent American tweeted yesterday, apparently unaware of what Memorial Day is for. In fact, gauging by what I saw online yesterday (which is pretty much where social discourse happens now), some people believe it is one of the following things:
-- A day to thank our service members!
-- A day to celebrate America!
-- A day to thank a vet!
It's really not that. You can thank a service member whenever you want. The Fourth of July is the holiday for celebrating America, and Veterans Day is the day to thank a vet. Memorial day has a very different and important purpose: to remember those who have died in war. It only became a federal holiday in 1971, though it grew out of a "decoration day" tradition in many states that had its roots in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Of course, many communities do recognize the true meaning of the day with solemn ceremonies that honor those who lost their lives in war.
Perhaps the reason we struggle with Memorial Day being about death and loss is because we don't want to think about those things. It is odd how the idea of sacrifice is being so thoroughly driven from the American identity; increasingly (as I argued this past Sunday) selfishness is celebrated as "freedom."
The veteran I knew best, who lost the most friends in war, was my Grandfather, Millard "Ben" Hodges. He was a big influence on me, and many of the things I believe come from his devotion to his family, his church, his community, and his country. I spent a lot of time, including a full summer, with my mother's parents, so I had the chance to learn a lot from them. My grandfather signed up to serve in the Army at age 37, during World War II, and served as a transportation officer in Europe during the war. By the time the war in Europe had ended, he had been promoted to the rank of Major.
What struck me about his time in the service wasn't heroism or valor or glory. In fact, he rarely talked about it, and when he did it was usually by deflecting to a funny story or succumbing to a dark quiet. He wrote a memoir that I re-read occasionally, and in it he notes that one of those who died was the musician Glenn Miller, last seen flying from the air base where my Grandfather worked.
In a case in the front room of my house is a folded flag, from my Grandfather's funeral. I'm not sure why I was the one who ended up with it--perhaps because I was the grandchild who was closest to him-- but it is deeply meaningful to me. Yesterday, I stopped to ponder it and the realities of war. It is good that we have a Memorial Day, but I long for it to serve its true purpose.
Comments:
<< Home
My Dad served in WWII. He was in a unit that was used to train junior officers in Oregon and Washington state, in the more desert-like parts of those states. His unit was broken up, with many by then unfit for service, and sent to recuperate, some needing surgery. He was then sent to the Pacific in early 1945, and served in Korea, taking over from the Japanese military personnel. Came home in December 1945, getting home on Christmas eve. Talked more about training and being a barber on the ship home, which almost sank in a storm (listed 47 degrees), than about his time in combat. Also talked about taking up cigars while in Korea in late 1945, the only time he ever smoked, because of the overpowering smells of death and human waste. He was always a generous man, especially with his time and carpentry skills, as his first job was in the mill of a city lumber yard when they made the moldings, doors, windows, cabinetry, etc. in the retail lumber yard, from 1946-1955, thence to managing.
P.S. We will be moving the second week of July to Philadelphia
P.S. We will be moving the second week of July to Philadelphia
# posted by 
: 7:39 AM
: 7:39 AM
Men and women who have seen the war zone , in my limited experience, rarely speak about their experience. Photo journalism of wartime must be relied upon to tell their stories.
I was thinking a lot about Memorial Day and what we did as children. It represented the end of the school year and start of summer with the parks opening but... I remember many Memorial Days spent at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial attending a remembrance service on the back lawn.
I was thinking a lot about Memorial Day and what we did as children. It represented the end of the school year and start of summer with the parks opening but... I remember many Memorial Days spent at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial attending a remembrance service on the back lawn.
Just looked back over my public utterances over the past few days (including messages to students on my LMS). I am relieved that I did not say "Happy Memorial Day" to anyone. I must confess that I am not nearly as somber about Memorial Day as I should be. But, lucky for me, I had all the right tones (even the obligatory explanation emanating from Decoration Day).
Post a Comment
<< Home
