C'mon guys, lets stop this needless bickering. Yes, Memorial Day is to remember and honor those in the service who died serving. It is not Veterans' Day.

Let's keep the focus on what this day is, what it was they served and sacrificed for. Let us not insult and mock. We all make innocent mistakes ( and I admit intentional mistakes) from time to time, no matter our intelligence or education.

 

Women in the South decorated the graves of Confederate dead in May. That's how it started. Decoration Day.

Diluting the meaning of Memorial Day is one of my hot buttons. Some idiot pushed it last year too it seems. Of course that makes me an asshole. Too many of "my guys" were KIA in combat. They deserve recognition, not the guys who died in bed long after a war. Every year my regimental association reads the role of every known KIA at the annual dinner. They dim the lights. All of us there are veterans and this isn't about us then either.

The "Thanks for Serving Day" is in November. Used to be Armistice Day. Times change. But Memorial Day has not. Excluding the uninformed who often don't have a clue, want to be "inclusive," have probably never served in wartime, and think saying "Thanks for serving" to veterans is a nice thing to do. Gimme a break. No one excluded you. I always wonder where they were when I was serving. Or any other time for that matter.

-- Chuck

 

Amen!

 

Chuck, your narrow KIA focus is understandable for you and your unit....... but for the majority of Americans Memorial Day is about going to graveyards and remembering family members by placing flowers on their graves, which I would be doing today if not 300 miles or more away. In lieu of that, I honor my family by listing those of the recent past who served - some were KIA, some not KIA but scared for the rest of their lives, and others just served. We all deal with Memorial Day the way we wish to. God Bless the USA.

 

Well said Dave. And your family certainly contributed and you should be very proud of that.

 

Somehow my family tree never saw combat action but most served.
Most were either too old or too young for World War II and Korea.
I turned 18 a year or so after the end of the draft. I was delighted not to have to go to Viet Nam.
although having trashed a knee in high school pretty much made sure of that.
I'm fortunate in that I do not have stories of relatives lost in combat and I'm quite appreciative that I do not.
most of my memorial day memories are as a child bringing flowers to the graves of lost relatives with my grandmother.
now It's an extra day off, a chance to work in the yard and catch up on rest.

 

What did those who made the ultimate sacrifice die for except for our freedom? And that includes being able to celebrate Memorial Day any way that we chose (or not). To include those who served, but did not die in battle, is a personal decision, ignorant one or not. And that's our right as Americans.

 

Actually every event I have watched this weekend, including the Stanley Cup Playoffs that I am now watching, start out by saying "A weekend in honor of Veterans, past and present." So, I do think we as a country look at this Day differently than perhaps years past or as Chuck sees it.

However, Chuck is not alone in his feelings. I was reminded of this in a local blog in which a couple military families posted "Memorial Day is not Veterans Day. It is to honor the fallen, not those who have served." So I guess like a lot of things in this country, we are split.

 

As a Vietnam Era Army veteran, I bit my tongue (AKA fingers) while reading some of the post on this thread. I agree that it is frustrating to some that people confuse Memorial Day with Veteran's Day. With that stated: I for one am just SO THANKFUL that the attitude towards our military has changed over the last several decades (certainly since I served).

I attended a short, but nice, Memorial Day Ceremony at a local American Legion Post today. After the ceremony there was a cook out with free food for all in attendance. Then, unfortunately things changed when a person that very well may have had too much to drink arrived at the Post wearing a "Cowboy" Style hat (similar to the one worn in Apocalypse Now) embroidered with the word Vietnam on the front arrived. He was loud, using profanity, and claimed to be a retired Sergeant Major. Then he started spouting off about racial aspect of "ground pounders" involvement during the Vietnam conflict. It became apparent to several "real" in country Vietnam Veterans that this guy was an imposter (based on his incongruent statements and claims of locations etc. That he was trying to "steal valor"! Which in my opinion is the sign of true coward and dirt bag. He was asked to leave by the Commander, and was escorted out.

However, I guess that is happening more and more these days, now that the military is held in high esteem. IMO this type of behavior is a total insult to the men and women that served "in country" in any war zone. I am a decorated soldier, as I was awarded The Army Commendation Medal for my service. I am proud of that, but do not considerate to place me in the same category of troops that served "in country" like so many people on this board have. They are the heroes. I just got a medal for doing a good job in the shelter of the Pentagon under tight deadlines. There is NO COMPARISON to the true heroes. Especially the ones, that did not make it home, or are still MIA.

 

It is most unfortunate that the venom that should have been directed at the politicians during the Vietnam war was instead directed towards the military. I think that people thought that without the military's participation there wouldn't have been a Vietnam war. I imagine it must have been very difficult to be in the military in those days. Being shot at by the enemy and disrespected at home.

Both my father and father in law served in World War II. Thankfully they both lived to old age and died of natural causes. That they didn't die in combat doesn't diminish the contribution they made to the country.

Memorial Day/Decoration Day was established to honor our war dead, but it has evolved to be a day not only to honor the war dead but to thank those who serve and served and those who put their lives on the line to protect our country. And rightfully so, there is enough thanks to go around.