Memorial Day Guest Writer

A lovely Memorial Day remembrance from good friend Steve Collins.

Today is Memorial Day, and throughout the land there are the typical testimonies and tributes to those who have fallen in arms. There will be a lot of politicians posing in front of flags and talking about sacrifice. For most of us, however, I think Memorial Day is more of an excuse to have a day off and a good barbeque with friends and family.

That isn't the case with me.  I think I know something about the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Memorial Day began unofficially after the Civil War and was a sincere effort to bring honor and tribute to those that sacrificed themselves in the name of the country, democracy, and freedom. It was made an official federal holiday in 1971. But what does Memorial Day really mean? Most would say that it is about the remembrance of those who gave up their lives in the name of the United States and its values--freedom, democracy, civil rights. But it's more than that.

Memorial Day is about families, and about the terrible, heartbreaking, empty feeling of loss.

I know this because I've lived it. My earliest memory of Memorial Day is back when I was a child, watching the Indianapolis 500 on television. In the pre-race ceremony they have a moment where a bugler plays the lonely, haunting, tones of "Taps."  I remember my mother tearing up during the playing. She had reason to tear up.

My mother had three brothers. All three entered the military for different reasons. All three were victims of service.

My mother's oldest brother, Richard, joined the Air Force to be a pilot.  He was flying an F-100 Super Sabre in 1965 over South Carolina when his plane malfunctioned. As it was going down, he could have ejected, but he noticed that his plane was heading straight for the small town of Bowman. He stayed with his craft, steering it away from the town until he crashed and died. Today there is a marker of remembrance for him in the town square.

My mother's younger brother, George, followed his brother's footsteps and entered the Air Force to also become a pilot, which he did, even piloting Strom Thurmond back to Washington after the memorial dedication in Bowman in 1971. He was assigned to Vietnam, where he piloted troop transfers and reconnaissance missions. On January 27, 1973, seven hours before the cease fire, he was returning as a co-pilot of an OV-10 to base when he and his pilot saw a Navy F-4 go down. As they were circling to provide rescue information, his plane was struck by a SAM missile. He and his pilot parachuted out. The pilot ended up being one of the last POW's of the war. My uncle was never found. Reports say that he was killed in gun battle and buried in a rice field, but there has never been any confirmation.

My mother's youngest brother, Jeff, was drafted into the Army and served as an artillery soldier in Vietnam. He returned at the end of his tour a different person. After George, his closest brother, disappeared, Jeff changed even more. He withdrew from society and today lives as a hermit in Oregon.

But that is not all for my family and war. My father was in Vietnam when I was born and lost many of his friends to that conflict, including the Best Man at his wedding, Dick Bird, who was killed by a fragmentation grenade. My grandfather Collins was an officer in World War II and fought throughout North Africa, Italy, and Southern France. Oddly, but not unsurprisingly, my father says that he never really talked about his experiences with his son, even though he was a career military officer.

I grew up in the military. I understand what the military is all about. I understand how very intelligent people decide to place themselves in harm's way to defend what they think is important. These are brave men and women and deserve our praise. Even though today I am a liberal and a decidedly anti-war person, I am comfortable with the fact that I am not betraying the sensibilities of my heritage. All military officers are anti-war. The responsibility of placing men and women in harm's way is a heavy burden. But they are professionals, and do their job. And there are terrible costs to their job.

It took my father twenty years before he finally went to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington. When we talked about his experience there, he could not finish the discussion. It was the first time I ever saw my father cry. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. It brought home to me a number of important understandings.

First, war is truly hell, and we should never place its burden on our citizens except when it is absolutely necessary. Second, the people who usually send people to war have never experienced it themselves, otherwise they would try to avoid it as much as possible. Third, those of us who comment on war don't really know what we're taking about. We can make a great deal of platitudes about soldiers, we can critique the decisions of an administration, but an insular distance protects us all. We need to have critique of our leaders, but we also need to think about what is going on the ground of combat and what those poor souls have to deal with.

On this Memorial Day, I think about my family and the losses we have suffered. I remember my Uncles Richard and George. I remember how my grandfather was away from home for three years. I remember how lucky I am that my father came home to be my Dad after having fought at Khe Sahn and Hue. I remember the pain in my father's voice when he talked to me about those friends he lost there in Southeast Asia.

That is what Memorial Day is all about. It's about what war does to families and those who live in them. It is about the honor that people who willingly volunteer to join our armed forces deserve. And it is about the need for our political leaders to make wise and honest decisions that allow those people to conduct themselves in a justified and honorable manner. Memorial Day teaches us that those who do not respect these devotions and sacrifices are beyond contempt.

Let us respect Memorial Day. Let us remember those who have paid the price. And let us think about those who will pay that price in the future due to the decisions of the contemporary government.

May they rest in peace.

11:52:09 AM    comment []