Memorial Day, 2016

Today we find ourselves honoring our fallen heroes, and rightfully so. On the last Monday of May, this great assimilation of cultures, personalities, and beliefs pauses to remember those who have died to give us, the living, the freedoms we enjoy (and take for granted) today.

Memorial Day, as we know it, hasn’t always been the federal holiday that it is now.  It was born in the aftermath of the “War Between the States.” The first official day of remembrance, May 5, 1866; was held in Waterloo, NY.  Businesses closed and the town’s residents decorated the graves of soldiers.  I invite each of you to read a history of Memorial day, via the History Channel’s website. Memorial Day wouldn’t be complete without a word about taps.  Taps is played at virtually every military funeral.  There is a fantastic write up (written in 2012, for the 150th anniversary of the tune) in the Milwaukee Sentinel by Meg Jones.  The history channel has a good YouTube video on the history of Taps.

My personal favorite part of Memorial Day comes at 3:00 p.m. local time.  3:00 p.m. is a time of personal reflection.  A moment to pause and remember those who have had their lives cut short in service of this great land, we call, America.

On this day, let’s reflect on what is a Hero?  The dictionary defines a hero as someone who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.  And what about the tern Heroism?  Heroism is defined as putting others first.  Ok, it may not be the dictionary definition; but I like it, and this is my blog.

These definitions do not fit every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine.

I am of the opinion that the term “Hero” is overused and its overuse dilutes the sacrifice of those who have died in service to this great land.  Today, it’s in vogue to call everyone in the military a hero.   Hero’s are those that go Above and Beyond.  Let’s face the facts; I am not a hero.  I am a veteran, a very proud veteran.  I have served my country, with pride and distinction; but a HERO (with a capital H), I am not.

• I have never flown a plane into a storm of Flak.

  

• I have never been torpedoed by a U-boat, nor depth charged by an angry destroyer.
• I have never had to fire a shot in anger.
• I have never been ambushed in the jungle, nor fought house to house in Iraq.
• I have never held my buddy at my side; while he died in my arms.
• I have never run into a hail of gunfire to help a wounded marine.
• I have never had to eat shoe leather boiled in soup for food.
• I have never jumped from a helo (helicopter) into the Bearing Sea to rescue a seaman.
• I have never stood across from another with muskets aimed at each other.
• I have not given my life, a limb, nor my sanity, in the service of this great land.

** And I give thanks to my lucky stars that I have never been in similar situations. **

I have friends who have made the ultimate sacrifice and others who have been scarred (either physically and/or mentally) in service to this great land.  They are heroes.

The military is full of all kinds of people, our nation’s military reflects our national culture.  A man that, I believe embodies this is Desmond T. Doss, a conscientious objector who received the Medal of Honor (read his full story). He may not fit the mold of dying during in action; but he is without a doubt, a great hero to be remembered on this day of introspection and reflection.

George Custer.  Before his death at the Little Big Horn, he was a star officer during the Civil War, argumentatively the savior for the Union at Gettysburg.  While it is true that he was not an academic type (He finished last in his class at West Point), it is also true that he didn’t really think much of others opinions.  But he was a tactician, the bosses be damned.  And it was that intestinal fortitude that saved the Union at Gettysburg.

And how about these guys….

John Stark; he recruited 400 men and marched to Boston in April, 1775.  Then in June, he helped keep the British from flanking the new American militia at a little placed called Bunker Hill.

Nathaniel Greene; a well respected general of the Continental Army.  He was one of Washington’s most trusted and successful generals, credited with a highly successful southern campaign which led to Washington’s victory at Yorktown, VA.

Father Vincent Capodanno, a priest who joined the Navy Chaplain Corps to serve Marines in Vietnam.  On Sept, 4, 1967, he was killed while serving his flock of marines in the field.  He died of 27 bullet wounds.  The mighty warship USS Capodanno (DE-1093) was named in his honor.  To this day, it is the only US Warship to have a Papal blessing.

These are just a sampling of our military Heroes.  I encourage you to do a google search and read about our neighbors (Policemen and Firemen) who have gone above and beyond also; they too are heroes.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t be thankful for our veterans.  I’m simply saying we should be careful how we through around the word “Hero.”  It is a powerful word, with deep meaning to those that have served this great land.  So, next time you feel like calling a me a hero and becoming all goo goo eyed, how about just saying “Thanks for what you do (did) for OUR country.”  While your at, let the first responders know too.

I encourage you to visit the Congressional Medal of Honor Society webpage for a gallery of Heroes who have won our nation’s highest honor.

Our country’s service members write blank checks payable by their lives.  Our political leaders should be careful how they cash these checks, as each service members death has impact on countless others.  If you are a vet, and need help, please visit VA.Gov.

I write to generate discussion.  What say you?