Memorial Day: We’re Human Like Everyone Else

A grave at the New Bern National Cemetery is decorated with memorabilia in New Bern, North Carolina, on June 20, 2019. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for America's service members who fought and gave their lives for the United States of America. DoD photo by Cpl. Micha Pierce

Commentary

I haven’t put much thought into Veterans’ or Memorial Day, even as a military member, until this past Monday. I remember being on watch last Sunday and having to work until mid-afternoon on Monday. I was griping quietly to myself and my wife about burning most of a four-day weekend, preparing for a security inspection. I sat down Monday evening to write and hit a wall. So, doing what any modern 29-year-old does, I opened Facebook and started scrolling through the lives of my friends and family. It was post after post about Memorial Day and being grateful to soldiers, remembering their sacrifice and our loss when they don’t come home. Or when they do, and they’re quite broken. It took about two minutes for me to realize what an enormous ass I had made of myself the previous 48 hours.