Memorial Day: A solemn and necessary observance

As a kid, I once asked my dad the difference between Veteran's Day and Memorial Day.

"Veteran's Day is for those who came home," he said. "Memorial Day is for those who didn't."

In the early 1970s, a teenager who lived behind us in Virginia Beach, Virginia, painted a peace sign on the roof of his family's home. He said he did it for the fighter jets like the F-4 Phantoms that wailed low and overhead that haunting sound on their approach to NAS Oceana.

This was during the Vietnam War and the times were a different kind of tense. Tidewater was home to many bases; however, military personnel weren't considered heroes as they are today. Back then, the public's sentiment about the Vietnam War, while correct, was misplaced.

To some, soldiers were "baby killers," sailors were "squids," and marines were "jarheads."

My dad, a WWII veteran and Japanese POW, would curse signs we'd sometimes see in front yards that read "Dogs and Sailors Keep Off the Grass." He wasn't a fan of the Vietnam War and rightfully so laid the blame at the feet of politicians and not those they sent into combat.

While most Americans believe the second Iraq War was an unmitigated disaster that we're still paying for today one way or another, those put in Harm's Way are no longer demonized. Even the Commander-in-Chief back then eventually allowed the public to see the flag-draped coffins of soldiers who didn't return alive from Iraq.

So, as a country, we've come a long way and it's a good thing.

But do we know Memorial Day is not just a three-day weekend holiday, or the beginning of summer, or a reason for a department store sale? Meh. Nothing's sacred once Madison Avenue gets its grubby little hands on it. Think Christmas. Think Easter.

However, those who know firsthand the pain of Memorial Day definitely know the day's worth and reason, and the fallen and their families have my utmost respect. Still, they're in the minority because it's a distinct minority of Americans who put their lives on the line, and lose them, too, for this country.

Some say bringing back the draft, or mandatory service for a couple of years the way it is done in Israel would share the burden of protecting the U.S. more evenly. Others say insuring that the children of politicians are on the frontlines could quiet the drums of war.

Don't get me wrong, we must protect our country. But I'd rather those reasons for wars are self-defensive and for our ideals rather than pre-emptive and for our "interests."

Heck, if politicians, military industrial complex CEOs, and warmongers of all stripes literally led the charge into battle, there'd probably be no more war after that first battle.

Perhaps one day, we humans, the smartest animals in this room called Earth, will put aside the bloodlust for power, greed and extreme religiosity and actually realize and practice the Golden Rule to its fullest extent.

I sure would love to see the day when both days of remembrance — Memorial Day and Veterans Day — are but an asterisked memory to mankind's folly. Until then, we'll continue to have Memorial Day and rightfully so.