The United States has been blessed with an embarrassment of riches, not the least of which is a population ready to answer the call to defend the nation. As a people, we love to celebrate our good fortune with holidays and observances and several of these are dedicated to our service members, living and dead. However, I don’t think these holidays are necessarily best way to express our feelings.
Saturday, May 16, was Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May. Armed Forces Day dates from 1949, when the military services consolidated under the Department of Defense. As is usual for minor celebrations, the White House issued a proclamation and the occasion was otherwise ignored. One cannot be offended; after all, there are two other holidays to honor service members, Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Veterans Day is usually observed on Nov. 11. It was originally called Armistice Day and proposed in 1919 to memorialize the end of World War I.
The granddaddy of the three is Memorial Day; it is observed on the last Monday of May, this coming Monday, May 25, 2009. Memorial Day was formerly known as Decoration Day because it was when graves were decorated and it dates as far back as 1868 to memorialize Union dead in the Civil War. Now it memorialized all Americans who died while in military service.
I spent almost half my adult life in the armed forces and I thought of it more as a special calling than a job. Therefore, it s not surprising that I’m biased in favor of those who have served or who are serving. I also have very personal reasons, my granddaughter is a medic and paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne and her farther is on active duty as a combat veteran in Special Forces.Â
If there was one thing I came away with from my more than 22-years in the service, it was the understanding of the scarifies that are made by so many and how little those service members ask in return. When it comes right down to it, they want only two things and the two things cost almost nothing – they want your respect and appreciation.
They are your husbands and wives, your parents, your children and your grandchildren. They come from every background, but they have a common purpose – although not all will admit to sappy thoughts.
Their purpose is to defend the nation and way of life they love. It’s important for you to remember that these things cannot be adequately expressed only two or three times a year when the appropriate holiday comes around. To have an effect, the respect and appreciation must come from the heart and our men and women in service deserve to hear it from you face to face.
When was the last time you saw someone in uniform and said, “Thanks”? I rarely pass up the chance and neither should you.
When I see demonstrators whose purpose it is to denigrate or disband America’s armed forces and who engage in unthinking attacks on defense spending all I can do is smile. One has to wonder if the irony of the situation ever strikes them. Their demonstrations on Veterans Day and Memorial Day may be in bad taste, but they are also something else. They are the ultimate testimony to the good job the armed forces have done – it is only the sacrifices of service members that allow demonstrations without fear of government retaliation. They, above all, should be saying thanks to the armed forces every chance they get.
Marty Richman is a Hollister resident. His column runs Tuesday. Reach him at [email protected].
