Although this is the weekend during which many people "kick off" the summer season with outdoor get-togethers and barbecues, some forget - or actually don't know that while Veteran's Day is a day to honor all those who have served our nation in the Armed Services, Memorial Day was established as a national holiday to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation.
In the timely TV series, The West Wing (on Netflix), Season 1 - Episode 10 - "In Excelsis Deo", I find a poignant story to reflect upon for Memorial Day. Aaron Sorkin and Rick Cleveland were given an Emmy for writing this episode. The actor, Richard Schiff, who plays Toby Ziegler, White House Communications Director, won an Emmy for his performance.
There are many story lines running through the episode, not the least of which was a horrible hate crime committed against a young homosexual man. This aspect of the episode was based on the real-life case of the murder of Matthew Shepard. The story also, powerfully intersects with the fictional life of the executive secretary to the West Wing’s President, Josiah Bartlet — Dolores Landingham, who lost her two twin sons while they served as medics during the Vietnam War.
The main theme of the episode, set on Christmas Eve, was about the death of a relatively unknown, homeless Korean War Veteran, who served in the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines. Toby Ziegler is drawn into the reality of this man's passing in a park near the Korean War memorial in Washington, D.C. He grapples with the reality of the man's service to our nation in contrast to the fate that he endured during the years that led up to his death in obscurity. While the Korean War Vet did not die in the war, his heartbreaking fate is reflective of what has happened to countless soldiers, who survive the horrors of the battlefield, but not the post traumatic suffering that endures.
Even though it has happened many times over the past several decades, I am always caught by surprise when something moves me to tears - actually to sobs - when my thoughts turn to my childhood friend, my beloved, John Thomas Brown, who was killed in Quang Tri, in Vietnam, during the Tet Offensive, when we both were only 19 years old. This episode of The West Wing did that to me - once again. It so eloquently captures what Memorial Day should really be all about ~ lest we forget.
