In honor of honoring those that should be remembered on this upcoming 3-day weekend, here are my thoughts......
Being the history lover that I am, I thought I'd first provide some background on this whole Memorial Day thing. This American "celebration" originated after the Civil war, reportedly to assist communities in healing after being torn apart by the war. It was originally called Decoration Day, (for decorating the graves of the soldiers) and while the intent was for this commemoration to take place nationwide on the same day, the southern, confederate states resisted joining in on this, and held their remembrances on a separate day. This lasted up until the end of WWI, when it was "declared" (I don't know by whom) that all states would use the same day as the Memorial Day holiday, May 30th. Interesting enough however, it did not become a Federal holiday until 1971. Seems odd to me when all of those that we are supposed to be remembering died for the country....What's worse is that at that same time, they changed Memorial Day from May 30th, to the last Monday of May, and here's why -
***At present, Congress has designated ten legal holidays. Since 1971, a number of these have been fixed on Mondays rather than on a particular calendar date so as to afford workers a long holiday weekend *** I mean, we wouldn't want to inconvenience people in having a holiday that might fall in the middle of the week or something. That might cause us to actually think about what the holiday's purpose was in the first place!
In the actual context of this holiday, I have to say that I don't think we Americans have any idea in this day and age what it really means to "remember the fallen".
Our wars these days don't really "win" anything- and in my opinion, haven't since WWII. History shows that the whole country had to sacrifice and "pull together" during most of the wars that took place between the Civil war and WWII, something we don't know anything about today. I think it was that communal suffering that made celebrating such a day as Memorial day entirely more poignant given that you knew your remembered one had 
not "died in vain", so to speak, and because you had suffered your own hardships to support that "mission" as well. No doubt it certainly lent much more meaning to Independence Day as well....
Now. Let's talk about what really happens these days. And I won't shy away from saying that I am sometimes an offender in what I'm about to say as well. But Memorial Day was truly established for those that died fighting in wars for this country. And this holiday continues into this day, because our government continues to send soldiers into battles, on behalf of this country. The holiday, way back when, started off as a much quieter observance- in placing flowers and flags on graves- where as now we have parades and picnics and vacations that really have nothing to do with memorializing anything. And there are still soldiers dying. Right now, in fact. But my suspicion is that not much "remembering" is going to happen this weekend, unless you are the widow or parent or child of the person with the flag across their casket. Meanwhile, we have these parades and picnics that don't really seem to have anything to do with what the day was intended for, and as usual, the (convenient) 3-day weekend usually involves a lot of food and drinking and is better known as being the "start of summer" than as a day of rememberance.
Once again, I have to wonder how those that died to keep this country free would feel about what their America is like now. It's taken for granted. And like sooooo much else in this country, it's an assumed privilege. A privilege that seems to get flaunted around an awful lot these days too, in my opinion. But that's a whole different blog.
So my goal this weekend, is to spend even just a few minutes, actually thinking about what it must have been like for my great uncles to fight in WWII- and to think about how much so many other soldiers had to give up and go through with the belief that they were fighting, and dying, for something. And they were! The freedom to choose how I worship, and think and work and love and am governed. It might do us good to also keep in mind that those who are serving this country in the Middle East will not come home having "won" anything. I think it will be as equally (if not more) difficult for them to adjust as it was for those returning from Vietnam...I personally would find it extremely hard to bear such sacrifices with an interminable mission that holds no discernible victory.
"Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic." -- General Logan - May 5, 1868
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