June 1, 2025

“Before me lay the dead, the heroic dead, who took the island. Upon a strange plateau, on a strange island, in a strange sea, far form their farms and villages, they slept forever beside the lagoon which bore them to their day of battle…

If you sit at home and read that two hundred and eighty-one men died in taking an island, the number is only a symbol for the mind to classify. But when you stand at the white crosses, the two hundred and eighty-one dead become men: the sons, the husbands, and the lovers…

Each man who lay there bore with him to his grave some promise for a free America. Now they were gone. Who would take their places? Women? Old men? Or were those who lived committed to a double burden? Theirs and the dead men.”

The above is part of a young World War II soldier stationed in the South Pacific expressing his feelings about visiting a cemetery in the South Pacific at Hoga Point. I’ve used this passage in four of the previous seven Memorial Day articles. It has had a significant impact on me. It is from a book written by my favorite author. The book: Tales of the South Pacific. The author, James Michener. Published: 1957.

For the uninformed, Memorial Day is a legal holiday, observed annually on the last Monday in May in honor of the nation’s armed services personnel killed in wartime. The holiday, originally called Decoration Day, is traditionally marked by parades, memorial speeches, ceremonies, and the decoration of graves with flowers and flags. Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868.

The bottom line is that our nation was formed by men and women of great courage – starting with George Washington to the pioneers who settled the West to Teddy Roosevelt to the Greatest Generation to today’s heroes who serve. Hopefully, leaders will soon emerge who will exhibit both the vision and the courage to bring about the necessary changes to ensure the future of our great nation.

On this Memorial Day, let us remember the sacrifices made by the men and women who served our country in the past and those who are serving today. The relentless passage of time makes it all too easy for some to allow the importance of Memorial Day to pass without a second thought. For some, forgotten are the sacrifices of those who risked and lost their lives for our future and a better world. Forgotten also are those who were asked to recover a few square yards of land. Forgotten are those who never had a chance to love. Forgotten also are those who didn’t give their lives for their country but had part of their lives taken away from them.

The quality of our lives can be directly attributed to the special men and women who served bravely during those horrible periods discussed above. Hopefully, each and every one of us can reflect on those sacrifices, give thought to our fallen heroes, and become better human beings. May kindness and understanding, rather than combat and hate, fill our lives in the days that follow so that we may truly celebrate life.

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www.theodorenewsletter.com

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JULY 1:                      On a Paradise Lost

AUGUST 1:                On the Ultimate Quiz IV

SEPTEMBER 1:         On Geothermal Energy

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This entry was posted on Sunday, June 1st, 2025 at 7:53 pm and is filed under East Williston, Uncategorized, Views from Others. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.