All gave some; some gave all.
Memorial Day is about those who gave all.
It's incredibly important to be grateful to the men and women in uniform, both past and present, who put their lives on the line every day for the safety of those of us who don't join the fight. Every year around Memorial Day, I see people posting left and right, thanking the veterans they know, and those they don't, for their service — and I love that. This post is certainly not to tell you to stop appreciating your veterans, and you don't have to save your thanks for Veterans Day in November, but save it for Tuesday.
Hear me out.
I want to make it clear that I am not trying to take anything away from our living servicemen, but rather trying to not take away from those we've lost.
Veteran's Day, aka Armistice Day, is November 11, and is the national holiday for recognizing veterans of all wars.
Memorial Day, held on the last Monday in May, is the holiday for recognizing those who died in service to our country.
Memorial Day is for all the men and women who didn't come home — for all those who valued our freedom over their own lives. Memorial Day is to take the time to think about the meaning of their sacrifices and remember the lives of the people who died too soon, fighting the battle so that we won't have to.
Memorial Day started as Decoration Day, after the Civil War, when people decorated the graves of soldiers lost in the war. The thing about it was, there weren't really too many organized cemeteries before the Civil War, but the number of fallen soldiers was so high that they needed places to bury all the bodies. Hence, both the cemetery and Memorial/Decoration Day became prominent in the United States of America.
It's a subtle difference between the holidays, but it means something completely different for the members of our military. To thank the living veterans on Memorial Day shifts the focus away from those we lost. We cannot forget the difference between these days, because for the men and women whose lives we remember this Memorial Day, it meant the difference between coming home and not. So those of us who never took that risk, no, we can't neglect to make that distinction between these holidays.
So visit a cemetery, plant a flag, pay your respects, read a story about the brave hearts that stopped beating and hug your soldiers close, but keep in mind how solemn this day really is. Remember someone's sacrifice each Memorial Day, and their life as a whole. And Tuesday, and the other 364 days of the year, (365 on this leap year,) go out and thank every veteran you see for what they gave, and thank the brave who continue to give. For Memorial Day, don't forget about those who are no longer with us. They didn't forget about you.
