Memorial Day is a sacred holiday for the United States as we remember those in the military who died in service to the nation. While not primarily a religious commemoration, it has the feel of something connected to the divine and evokes the religious overtones of our nation’s founding documents, as well as the faith of those who risked their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to establish the United States of America. There is no other holiday like it in the United States. As time passed, it became a day not only to honor those who died in our nation’s wars but also to remember all who wore the uniform and are now deceased.
It brings to my mind words that I have spoken and have heard spoken at countless graveside ceremonies as the American flag is presented to the fallen service member’s loved one: “On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Army (or Navy, Marines, Air Force), and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one’s service to the nation.”
Themotto of the nation’s only port mortuary at Dover Air Force Base is Dignity, Honor, Respect & Care, Service, Support. Those words are applicable to all who have died after serving the nation in uniform, whether or not their bodies came through Dover Air Force Base, and to their family members. On Memorial Day, we render dignity, honor, and respect for all who served and are no longer with us. We reach out to parents, wives, husbands, children, and other loved ones of our military dead to offer care, service, and support. To our Gold Star Families, we say, “Thank you.”
Sir William Ewart Gladstone, a celebrated, four-term English Prime Minister in the 19th century, memorably said: “Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals.” It is a statement both true and profound. It is why the United States has a long tradition of honoring those who served in our nation’s defense and are now dead. Memorial Day reinforces our own commitment to tender mercies, respect for the rule of law, and the high ideals on which our nation was founded.
There are many issues that divide us as a nation, most of them unnecessary. Partisan politics, race, economic and educational status, controversial social issues, and so much more can serve to fragment us as a people. It is regrettable and quite sad that a tribal mentality causes us to overlook the abundance of things that make us more united—and more like one another—than we realize. We actually have more in common than the rhetoric and the headlines of our day lead us to believe.
Memorial Day is an occasion that can bring the nation together in remarkable ways. We need this. When memorial celebrations began after the Civil War—that was the beginning of the holiday we are about to celebrate—the entire nation was united in grief over the lives lost in that conflict. Healing began as the nation came together. Out of despair came hope. Out of division came unity and gratitude for a newly united country.
Memorial Day is a natural opportunity to set aside divisive political and cultural issues and acknowledge the rare gift given to us as Americans. We are blessed to have inherited this noble experiment in democracy and to live in a land that is “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Is America perfect? No. But there is no other nation in the world—or in human history—like the United States of America. Know that. Embrace that. Celebrate that. Gratitude for this can truly unite the nation.
It is fitting that Memorial Day is filled with parades, parties, cookouts, and other traditions. It is the unofficial beginning of the summer vacation season that runs through Labor Day. But these traditions and celebrations are made possible by the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform from generation to generation—from 1776 to the present day.
We honor those who died by remembering. But by remembering, we also become “one.” Gratitude has an undeniable cohesive quality. It is part of our sacred duty as citizens of this great country to simply and gratefully remember. After all, gratitude has a way of putting things into perspective.
Memorial Day is also a quiet but insistent reminder that Freedom Is Not Free.
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