Memorial Day: Honor, Salute & Celebrate…
“Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o’er. Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking. Dream of battled fields no more. Days of danger, nights of waking…” Sir Walter Scott
Memorial Day: Honor, Salute & Celebrate… Flag at half-mast
Memorial Day: Honor, Salute & Celebrate… TY to our fallen heroes.
HONOR
This Memorial Day, which falls on the 28th of May, we will honor the many men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in military service to our country. Memorial Day was first created to honor northern soldiers who died in the Civil War. Then, it became a way to remember those who died in World War I, II and finally lives lost in all wars. In 1971, it became a federal holiday and remains the unofficial beginning of summer. As we gather to honor the memories of those lost, we are reminded again that war is, unequivocally, the lousiest option for settling disputes. Loved ones are gone and, in some instances, the wars and resentments remain…
“And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier‘s tomb, and beauty weeps the brave.” Joseph Drake
Memorial Day: Honor, Salute & Celebrate… WWII Roll of Honor
SALUTE
As in years past, for Memorial Day, we will pause to salute and remember those brave souls who paid the ultimate sacrifice – they gave up their lives so the rest of us might live in peace with all the freedom and advantages that come with living under a system that upholds the democratic process. Each casualty of war or MIA leaves behind loved ones, family members, and memories of what could have been… How do we ever forget? How do we forget the pain and suffering inflicted on both the victor and the vanquished? As I’ve written in other posts, one side might claim victory, but the loss of life and the deepening resentments that come from warring creates animosity and a spirit of revenge. War is devastating and its scars are indelible. So when we raise our hands in salute to our heroes, let us raise our hands also in a gesture of peace…
“Each man is a hero and an oracle to somebody.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Memorial Day: Honor, Salute & Celebrate…
CELEBRATE
To celebrate our fallen heroes, many of us will attend services, give thanks for our servicemen/women, join the parade, eat and reminisce about the lives of loved ones or strangers lost. On this day, we’ll also celebrate the lives of those who made it home; our sons, daughters, extended family and our friends in the forces. No matter how we choose to mark this occasion, whether our celebrations are boisterous or not, we must never forget that war is not the answer. Peaceful efforts should shape our daily interactions with each other as we all work together to mitigate the petty hatreds, greed, and missteps that lead us down the path to war. As a war survivor, my wish for all of us is that we stay committed to choosing peaceful options over those that glorify war. We must remain committed to PEACE as the preferred choice. Have a Peaceful Memorial Day! More below.
“The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” Benjamin Disraeli
Memorial Day: Honor, Salute & Celebrate… War is not the best option
Memorial Day: Honor, Salute & Celebrate… Thank you!
In my opinion, this should be a time for reflection, remembrance and review of the efforts our government makes to protect our peace. We must never forget that we can use our technological advancements to initiate and uphold the peace process. We can communicate with many factions and find solutions to armed conflict. Above all, we need to continue to make a concerted effort to reach out to our aggressors and oppressors and negotiate peace settlements that benefit us all globally… Again, War must remain the last resort. May we all work towards PEACE.
What are your thoughts? How do you spend your Memorial Day? What views do you have on war and peace? Do share! Thank you. 🙂
Positive Motivation Tip: War must remain the final, the last resort to resolving dispute and only after all feasible channels to peace have been thoroughly exhausted… Let’s protect Peace.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos of half mast flag, Normandy flag, WWII Roll of honor, Boy with flag, Apotheosis, Salute, via Wikipedia
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
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An excellent post! It is important to remember those who make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
True Tilly! It is an important, albeit a sad, sad day.
You are absolutely right Elizabeth. In 21st century war is not the solution to the problem we are facing. We must keep war as the last option we have.
I was not aware of the memorial day. Thank you for sharing it in detail here. We must salute the people and their family who lost their live in order to give us freedom and make us safe in our own part of world. Great post. Have a great week ahead.
TY for the feedback… It is one of those days that are poignant and sad because of the lives lost at war.
I have a Veteran from the VietNam War…Oh, no…that wasn’t a war…it was a conflict…at least that’s what they say…that I have been married to for 43 years…I see him struggle with the repercussions to this day…War is so tragic…and it follows them home…God Bless them!
War is so, so tragic and it remains a wish of mine that one day, we will live in a global community that treasures peace for all. TY!
Amen!
Wishing you happy Celebrations.
Have a Peaceful Memorial Day! TY!
Great tribute Elizabeth! PEACE to all.
b
TY Barb and peace sent back to you! 🙂
Peace to all on this day and, as you pointed out, my desire too is to see an end to armed conflict and a growth in peaceful conflict resolutions. This and your other listed posts on the subject touched me in a powerful way.
Peace!
B
TY and I send you blessings for a Peaceful Memorial Day!
My heart goes out to all of the families that have lost their loved ones to the needless wars we are fighting today and of course for wars of the past, in which America may have truly been in peril. My deepest gratitude goes out to those that have lost their lives for this Nation in their fight for freedom. Sadly in many cases, that fight has been a lie. It breaks my heart to think of how many fallen troops would still be here with their families today, if we reserved our fight for America’s protection of her Sovereignty and of our Constitution. We need to bring our troops home. Think of the lives that could be saved, both military and civilian.
Your post and your tribute to our fallen soldiers is lovely. I only wish there were not so many young men and women to mourn over wars that should not be. So very sad.
Orples TY for your thoughtful response… Your sentiments are mine and I’ve written about our wish to have our troops come home… in some of my other Memorial Day posts. Yes, some of those wars were trumped up, and it pains me that many lost their lives over wars we had no business engaging in… TY! So, so sad.
Beautiful post – the photos are so profound. Thank you so much for sharing.
TY Z and G for your kind words and feedback… always appreciated!
Thanks for the reminder on what today is all about.
TY Leanne for your reply… You know, every year I have to write about this, it breaks my heart. If you noticed, I don’t use the word Happy because Memorial Day is not Happy… Peaceful, Reflective, Resolve are words I am more inclined to use. TY again!
Very powerful,we must never forget.
This is s special tribute and we must keep peaceful resoluions in the forefront of our minds.
B
TY and I believe it is important to do so too. 😉
How well you honour our soldiers, both living and dead, who serve us all!
wonderful tribute, Elizabeth, beautifully done! 🙂
TY for your feedback Roxie! 🙂
The Scouts in San Diego put about 65,000 small flags out at the two National Cemeteries we have here, one in front of each grave marker. It’s very moving to watch them do it, and even more moving once it’s done.
Reblogged this on Mirth and Motivation and commented:
“On Memorial Day, I don’t want to only remember the combatants. There were also those who came out of the trenches as writers and poets, who started preaching peace, men and women who have made this world a kinder place to live.” Eric Burdon
As we celebrate the men and women who gave their lives so we could live, let us not forget War must remain the last resort. May we all work towards PEACE.
Nice trivia about Memorial Day. I agree that war is not the answer and it should be the last resort. We just need love and peace so there will be no lives to be sacrificed.
Beautiful post. A big THANK YOU to all those who serve and have served. My grandfather served, this was also his birthday, may he rest in peace, this is also my birthday and I am proud to say I shared it with a wonderful man!