What Memorial Day Means to Me

By: Martha Greenier of Lamb's Way: www.lambsway.org May 2003

As a young person I have struggled with understanding the true meaning of Memorial Day. It was always simply a day off from school that included picnics, parades, barbeques and house cleaning. However, as I matured to an age of understanding, I began to comprehend that Memorial Day is much more important and sobering occasion. Yes, it’s a time for picnics and parades but more importantly, it’s a time to remember the more than one million men and women who gave their lives so that we could have freedom.

For families who have lost loved ones who have died, it’s a day of mourning, grieving, and remembering. For families who have loved ones over seas now, it’s a time to wait, worry, hope, and pray for the safe return of those they love.

To me Memorial Day seems like an oxymoron. On the one hand it’s a day to rejoice in our freedom and the freedom our country has given to others, but it is also a day to remember all those who we have lost in the on going war for justice and freedom and pray for all those who are fighting for freedom over seas. It’s also a day to remember all the men and women who fought fearlessly giving all they had, giving even their lives, so that not only we could have freedom but also peoples from other countries could have freedom.

We were given many freedoms by the outpouring of the blood of those men and women who so bravely fought for our country. We were given our first amendment rights, the slaves were freed, our borders were expanded and we were given the freedom to have the kind of government that we want to rule our nation. These were only a handful of the freedoms that were given to America and those of us that live here. These few things are just a small part of why I am so proud to be an American. However, what makes me most proud to say I’m an American is that our troops did not only fight for our freedom but for freedom for the Jews, the South Koreans, the Vietnamese, and the citizens of Iraq, just to name a few.

It made me proud to see the Iraqi soldiers surrendering, the citizens accepting water from our troops, the young officer holding a wounded Iraqi orphan, and the people in the streets of Baghdad rejoicing and celebrating at the image of freedom and the thought of Saddam Hussein no longer in power.

I can’t imagine how the troops must feel as these scenes are before them. Though I believe they would say it makes all the pain and suffering and loss worth every minute, and I’m sure they would say freedom is a worthy cause to suffer and die for. Unfortunately when the war is over, there will be more names added to the veterans’ memorial, more graves to be decorated with flags and flowers, and more tears to be shed. But those soldiers will have died with honor and be remembered as heroes.

This day is more than picnics and parades; it’s more than a day off from school or work. This day is a special time set aside to really think about how many freedoms we have and thank God for the bravery and selflessness of all the soldiers who have given and are still giving their lives so we may live in freedom.

I hope you have fun eating your picnic lunches this afternoon. But I ask you to think about how many lives have been lost in order for us to have the freedoms that we have, the freedoms that we all take for granted. Please take the time today to really ponder the true meaning of Memorial Day.