Today is Memorial Day.As is our habit, near sunset, we went to the national cemetery in our city and I began to contemplate this day of "remembrance" in our nation.
Recently I have been reading the book, "You'll Be Sor-ree!" by a delightful gentleman in our area, Sidney Phillips. It is the story of his experience as a young Marine serving at Guadalcanal. Having met Dr. Phillips a few months ago, I wanted to read his book as soon as I saw it on the shelf at the library.
He does a great job of describing the extreme circumstances he encountered. While I realize he has tempered the experiences a great deal, he succeeded in showing us glimpses of the horrific reality of war.
With this in mind, I thought of what Memorial Day must mean for those who have served in war time. On this day when we are all trying to hard to remember, how much must they be trying to forget,
perhaps not only this day, but every day. What sights, sounds and feelings must rise to the surface that have been pushed so far down out of memory.It gives even more reason for each of us to take a moment each time we encounter military personnel, shake their hand and thank them whole-heartedly for their service to our country and to us.
From all of us who remember,
to all of you who wish to forget,
and especially to my son. . .you have my most sincere thanks.
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