We all celebrate the nation's days or recognition for the nation's brave citizens that take part in our defenses. But when asking those around me and the youth of our generations what exactly they believe Memorial Day is all about, my answers were not at all what I expected.
Now, this isn't meant to sound like I'm bashing the young generations right now. I, myself, belong in a young generation as well. This is to say that we, as a nation, should be ashamed that the purpose of these holidays are lost in translation among the generations that will become our nation's future.
So when asked what Memorial Day is all about, these are some of the answers I got:
1. "It's the same thing as Veteran's Day. We say thank you to those that serve in our nation's defenses."
This is true in a way. But what about those that have fallen while serving our country. Isn't this holiday about primarily recognizing the sacrifice they've made? They gave their lives for our country to remain a safe place for our generation as well as every other.
2. "Veteran's Day and Memorial Day are exactly the same except they're on different days."
Need I say more than the picture?
3. "Aren't Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, and Labor Day all the same thing? They are all meant to recognize the military service members of now and the past?"
No. Every holiday is different. That's like putting Christmas, your birthday, and Easter all together because you get presents each of those holidays. Every single one celebrates a different purpose.
In a story published by CNN on November 11, 2015, journalist and executive producer Lisa Respers France wrote the difference between Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, and even slightly mentions Labor Day. She discussed how different the two were but yet, so many citizens of our great nation mix the two holidays up or make the embarrassing mistake of grouping them together. She even briefly discussed those that believe Labor Day is also about thanking the military for their service.
Veteran's Day is the day to recognize those that are currently serving or have served in the military. Plain and simple. They have done or are doing our nation a great service by protecting our citizens' safety and our families.
Memorial Day is the day we acknowledge those that have fallen while protecting us and our families. Those brave souls that sacrificed themselves for their own families, the people they knew, and the millions of people they didn't know.
According to the website for the Department of Veteran Affairs, Memorial day was, "...established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers...It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country."
Labor day is not about recognizing the military. Sure, you can thank them, they deserve to be recognized everyday for their service, not just on specified days of the year. But that isn't what Labor Day is about. Labor day is for recognizing EVERYONE in the American Labor Force. In other words, every single citizen that is a worker in this great nation. Not specifically the military.
