As i write this early Monday evening, another Memorial Day is drawing to a close. I am very lucky that of all the members of my family who served in our armed forces, none that I have yet discovered via my geneology research made the ultimate sacrifice. As always, much of the news reports focus on two aspects of this annual event in the modern era: Traffic and Weather. For many Americans, Memorial Day is that three-day weekend heralding the beginning of the summer tourism/vacation season.
“Have a Happy Memorial Day” is a thing I actually hear in the day or two before the Friday get-outta-town-before-the-traffic-gets-bad rush, and ever since I truly internalized what the day is about- commemorating and remembering those military personnel who died while serving in one of our military branches- I’ve never said that phrase. Enjoy your weekend plans, sure. Safe travels, absolutely! Hey we’re having some folks over for a BBQ if you’d like to join us, most definitely. The other thing I do NOT do on this day is thank veterans for their service, because as most veterans I’ve known have told me, it’s NOT about them. There are two other holidays and the entire rest of the year to do so instead. For many years, the Massachusetts city I’ve lived in since the mid-90s has as part of its Memorial Day events held a Memorial Day parade. Veterans groups, local Gold Star families, the high school marching band, and all the elementary schools and little league teams participate. This year however, that parade was not held and there was a flood (a vitriolic, ugly flood) of criticism from exactly who you’d expect it from… the faux patriotic members of our community who take any opportunity to criticize our Democratic city leadership.
Do you know WHY the parade wasn’t held? Was it Democrats spitting on our honored traditions? Libs hating on the military? Well. From the city announcement, which I’m not linking to for my own locational privacy reasons:
Beginning this year, the Memorial Day parade in [city redacted] will be replaced by activities that better align with how our veterans and their families wish to be honored. The Veterans’ Services Advisory Board made this decision after several years of thoughtful reflection and discussion on the most appropriate ways our community can honor veterans on this solemn holiday.
Director of Veterans’ Services [name redacted] added, “We will now turn our focus and energy on the true meaning of Memorial Day, which is honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.”
Huh. Our Democratic leadership asked Veterans and their families about what they wanted, and then did that. How unpatriotic /snark.
What DID happen in my city this weekend? Let’s see:
- The annual Memorial Day Breakfast and Assembly at the Middle School, where Veterans are honored and the middle school all dresses up for the occasion.
- Decoration of Veteran Graves at the Cemetery, organized by local scouting troops
- Flag Retirement Ceremony at the Cemetery, also organized by scouts
- Vietnam Veterans Reflection Area Brick Dedication Ceremony, with Taps performed by our former Mayor
- Gold Star Families Memorial Dedication Ceremony
- An after-ceremony gathering at the local VFW
But yes, some folks are upset because without a parade kids “won’t learn about patriotism”. Perhaps their parents needed to learn more about patriotism and sacrifice from all the non-parade activities, might have kept them from falling under the spell of a wannabe fascist dictator who says those who gave their lives in service to our country are losers and suckers.
How does your community mark Memorial Day? How about you? Please share in the comments, after a perusal of tonight’s Tops.
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