Lest We Forget

Posted on | Thursday, November 11, 2010 | No Comments

I think of the wars, of what men and women have faced, and I truly cannot imagine it. I can't imagine the American Revolution, a small group of men so adamant in their beliefs that they would risk everything. I cannot imagine D-Day and running toward open fire knowing that you will likely not survive. The entirety of WWII and the horrors so many saw. Things I cannot fathom that are etched into minds of so many. I cannot imagine Korea. Vietnam. The Gulf. Concentration Camps. The rows of white graves at Colleville-sur-Mer. The Fall of Saigon. The Unnamed Soldier. I read about these things in books, I see pictures that make my stomach churn, and my mind cannot accept that people could be so cruel. That this really happened.

I have seen friends leave for Iraq and Afghanistan. Some never returned. Some came back with Purple Hearts and Silver Stars, and when asked what happened their faces become hard and their eyes echo the things they witnessed but never speak of. A hard answer, "I did what I could to get my men out." When I dwell on it and begin to let in the enormity of what today signifies I am suddenly overwhelmed. My throat burns and my eyes sting.

It seems selfish to only have one day. One day a year that acknowledges those who have served and who are serving. Those that have offered themselves to protect our rights and privileges. But, we can at least offer them this. We can think back to what such service truly means and feel the wave of gratitude that such people exist. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard; wartime or peacetime, or both, that they will go for us and be the defenders of what we as a nation believe.

We shouldn't only take a moment to reflect on such things. We shouldn't need to be reminded. It should be second nature that when we see a person in uniform we thank them. To shake their hand and say, "Thank you for what you did for us. Words can never express my gratitude. Thank you."

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