Tags
Fallen warriors, Memorial Day, National cemeteries, The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers, U.S. Armed Forces, Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Civil War headstones on Memorial Day
Alexandria National Cemetery – United States
Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)
Monday, 26 May 2014, is Memorial Day here in the United States. Every year on the final Monday in May, Americans remember and pay their respects to all those who have died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. For those families who have recently lost a loved one during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the pain is still a raw, open wound. Lots of these families will be visiting national cemeteries and memorials across our nation. To mark our most solemn federal holiday, others will take part in thousands of parades.
As a nation honoring our fallen warriors, remembrance is not enough. We should also reflect on the scourge of war: on our families, our communities, our nation, our world. When it’s not our loved one out on the battle front, do we really care? When the war zones are far away in distant foreign lands, do we feel the pain, the fear, and the loss?