It’s our duty to remember the heroes we honor for Memorial Day
Christopher Tremoglie
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It is Memorial Day, a date set aside to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives so all Americans could live theirs. Many people will go to beaches, barbecues, and other recreational activities without considering the heroes who made this all possible. Monday shouldn’t be about us but rather a solemn day of reverence for them — a day that we often do not appreciate and frequently take for granted.
A famous adage advises, “All gave some, some gave all,” and it is something all people should never forget and should hold dear to their hearts. We live in the land of the free and home of the brave. But the freedom and liberties that people enjoy have never been free. It was paid with the lives of the courageous souls who stood up against evil and tyranny. The list of heroes is long, filled with names that will never be known but whose bravery and courage must never be forgotten.
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Each Memorial Day, I’m reminded of the poem The Charge of the Light Brigade. It’s about a battle in the Crimean War, a military conflict that, incidentally, involved Russian forces in what is now Ukraine fighting the British and the French. It was written in 1854 by Alfred Tennyson and described the bravery and valor of the soldiers who faced almost certain death.
It’s a rather long poem I first read in fifth grade, and it quickly became a favorite. However, after each time I read it, only one line really seems to matter:
“Theirs not to make reply / Theirs not to reason why / Theirs but to do and die.”
It’s the perfect description of what Memorial Day should be about. It provides an eloquent and moving description that is reflective of the selflessness of the brave men and women who perished in battle so that we can enjoy our beaches, burgers, and brews the last weekend in May.
We must also never take for granted the despair of the families of the fallen. Their grief is an agony we will never know. As many people create memories this weekend, these families recall their loved ones’ final moments. Let us always reflect on what they sacrificed this Memorial Day and beyond.
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In every way, the trade-off is not fair. We enjoy the fruits of their ultimate sacrifice. Their acts of valor get overlooked and never receive the recognition they deserve. They came home in flag-covered coffins; we come home from leisurely days at the beach. It is a debt that can never be repaid and a sacrifice that’s too quickly forgotten.
So when we eat those burgers, relax on the beach, or sip that cocktail, let us remember the heroes of yesterday who gave everything so that we could have it all. Memorial Day is about them, not us. Their duty was to protect us. Our duty is never to forget them.