A Lighter View
Memories live on
By K.E.H. Stagg

May 26, 2016

 When I was a kid, my idea of Memorial Day was picnicking with the extended family, holding lawn dart competitions or running through the sprinkler with my cousins and setting off fireworks, weather permitting. It was notable mainly because the adults had a day off work. But it was sort of jumbled in my mind with 4th of July.

By the time I reached adulthood, I realized that Memorial Day is connected to 4th of July because the hard-won independence of 13 colonies was fiercely protected by generations of warriors who often had to defend the United States in some far-flung corner of the world.

And while I had a day off work myself by this time, I almost felt guilty taking it, because the closest I ever got to military service was being recruited in college by the U.S. Army because of my foreign language skills.

While my great-uncles served in every branch of the Armed Forces during World War II, I'm very fortunate in that all of them made it back home. So many didn't; and many families lost more than one member to the ravages of war.

Having lived in some far-flung corners of the world myself, I'm always humbled by the rows and rows of white crosses in the military cemeteries that Dad regularly took us to visit. The dates of birth and death prove that many of our warriors have been very young - some barely out of their teens. And it's fitting that our nation takes a day off to recognize these men and women for "giving all" in defense of freedom.

This Memorial Day, I'm remembering how many families waited - in vain - for their son or father or brother to come home.  To all of you who paid the ultimate price: thank you, thank you, thank you!