Memorial Day 2012

The patriotic optimist says they do it for the love of God, country and the defense of freedom. The critical cynic says they do it because the capitalist system creates an economic sub-culture forcing them to enlist thereby arming the military industrial complex. But, in reality we all know deep in our hearts that this is a kitchen table decision, parents sit with a young man or woman, a young couple decides the course of their future. They sit, sometimes talking quietly, sometimes arguing, many times crying and they exercise with grace and caution the greatest of all American virtues: they choose. They freely choose to serve and why they do so is irrelevant because they cross that threshold of safety and place themselves, bravely, into jeopardy. They sacrifice what we all cherish, the closeness of family, their personal relationships, the hugs of their children, their very freedom itself. We all are the beneficiaries of such decisions.

It is never about their motives but about their actions, actions which define so many of them as exceptional and worthy of not only our praise and respect, but also our indebtedness. It's not about waving flags or hands over your heart. It's about the nuts and bolts of a republic that offers so much to each and every citizen yet requires only payment from some. It is that payment which this weekend is all about.

A graveyard is a lonely, quiet place for the most part, one where thoughts and memories are collected silently, personally. These grounds are saturated with remarkable lives and deeds from the past, from our past, and from every generation before us. They permeate into the lives of those who gather this weekend, the children who pray for a father they never knew, the wives and husbands who can't seem to move on, the parents who remember their child as a child without a care in the world, and the comrades whose loyalty cannot be measured by words.

"It is for us the living," Lincoln said at Gettysburg, "rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced."

In some small measure we can all pick up the fallen flag of each of these soldiers and carry on the daily, unfinished work which a republic requires. It doesn't require bravery; all it requires is giving a damn. We must not let others define us. We must recognize that we know what is right and act upon it. This is not about politics. This is about recognizing in your gut what is right and what is wrong and ignoring the parsing of pundits who have cast our conscience into the abyss of relativism. We were taught better. We know better. Those lying before us in the ground this weekend are teaching us now. It's time to listen.

We ARE Americans, a concept that at times seems so blurred by our very attributes: governing by consensus, encouragement of dissent, free and open markets, diversity, and most importantly, individualism. Yet, it is all held together by those who choose to forgo those attributes, become one with a unit, make little money, fall in line and cast off their individualism. In a country where life can be so easy, it is the greatest testament to the human notion of altruism and direct proof that an undeniable law of nature exists that man yearns to be free.