Thankfully, for another year running, we can say that none of the military lives that Newberry lost in the year were from active duty. Our country is at open war in two countries, and maintaining constant vigilance in the “war against terror.” We should count ourselves lucky. But luck isn’t all there is to it. If there weren’t so many willing to stand as a line in front of all of us, separating and protecting Americans physically or philosophically, it’s possible many more lives could have been endangered. It is just that kind of willingness to put lives on the line that is something to ponder as we memorialize our dead veterans as a nation this weekend.
There has been a movement for some time to restore Memorial Day to an observance centered on a date, May 30, as it was in the past, and not a rotating Monday that always creates a three-day weekend. Linking the observance to a day, one hopes, would help restore the holiday to its former purpose — remembering and showing somber gratitude for the sacrifices of our troops. That is an idea whose time has come.
In the meantime, there are plenty of opportunities to mark those sacrifices this weekend with a group (see front page story), but there are always plenty of opportunities to do it on your own too. We live in the South, rich with history, and much of that history can be traced through graveyards, graveyards marked with the stories of fighting men and markers noting their passing. Let us take note, and bow our heads, for history continues to march on. And brave men and women continue to keep watch upon our country, its citizens and their freedoms, every day and every minute as we all move blithely along. Let’s return our memories and minds to the Memorial in this day.
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