MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial Day Watch

The Corps · Rollin E. Trueblood, USMC (Ret.)

Every year Memorial Day arrives, and every year we gather with family and friends. We cook hamburgers and hot dogs, attend parades, shake hands, hug one another, and enjoy a day off from work. There is nothing wrong with any of those things. In many ways, they are part of what those who served hoped to preserve. But somewhere in the middle of the celebration, I wonder if we truly stop long enough to understand what we are honoring.

People often tell veterans, “I appreciate your service.” I know those words are spoken with sincere intent, and I am grateful for them. But sometimes I gently wonder if appreciation is even possible without understanding. Close your eyes for a moment. Imagine lying in a desert as a sandstorm moves across the horizon. Your goggles are covered with dust. You have been awake for nearly twenty-four hours because there is a possibility of attack. You are frightened, exhausted, and far from home. Every shadow looks dangerous. Every sound causes you to turn your head. You do not know if you will see another sunrise. Yet you remain at your post because that is your duty. Until someone has experienced something similar, can they truly appreciate what it feels like?

Many veterans rarely speak about their experiences. Perhaps it is because some memories are painful. Perhaps it is because words cannot adequately explain them. Or perhaps it is because they understand that no story can fully transfer the emotions of those moments to another person. The fear, uncertainty, courage, and sacrifice become part of them in a way that is difficult to describe. So they often remain silent.

My granddaughter now serves in the United States Coast Guard. I served in the United States Marine Corps. Memorial Day has carried special meaning for me throughout my life. One year, while marching in a parade during the Vietnam era, I was spit on, cursed, and degraded simply because I wore the uniform of my country. I made a promise to myself that day that I would never allow Memorial Day to pass without intentionally honoring those who gave so much. This year I will ask my granddaughter to share that same spirit with her friends and fellow service members. I will ask them, at some point during the day, to stop for five minutes, stand at parade rest, bow their heads, and simply reflect on those who never came home.

I myself will be standing watch in my neighborhood at parade rest with an American flag. I will salute those who pass by and hope that perhaps one person pauses long enough to reflect. Standing still in the Florida heat for several hours is not a great sacrifice. It is certainly not hardship. But it is my small gesture of respect and remembrance for those whose sacrifice was far greater than anything I have ever been asked to give.

The truth is that many who died in uniform were not thinking about politics in their final moments. They were thinking about the Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Coast Guardsmen beside them. They were honoring an oath. They were following orders. They were protecting one another. They were doing their duty. Some wars were wise. Some were not. History continues to debate them all. But the courage of those who served beside one another is not diminished by those debates.

So before the next hamburger is grilled, before the next parade begins, before the next family gathering starts, I ask only one thing. Stop for a moment. Close your eyes. Think about a young man or woman standing watch in the darkness, frightened and far from home, doing a job that few truly understand. Think about the families who received a knock on the door and a folded flag. Think about those who never returned. Then offer a prayer of gratitude.

May we never forget them. May we teach our children and grandchildren why they should not be forgotten. And may we honor their memory not only with our words, but with our actions, our character, and our willingness to remember the price that was paid for the freedoms we enjoy today. If we truly wish to honor those who serve, then we must also carefully examine the moral character, wisdom, judgment, and restraint of every president and leader who may one day send our sons and daughters into harm’s way. The office of Commander-in-Chief carries the heaviest responsibility entrusted to any citizen of this nation. May we insist that wisdom prevail over pride, humility over ego, and careful judgment over reckless ambition. The lives of our service members are too precious to be spent carelessly, and the decision to place them in battle should never be made for personal glory, political advantage, or the ambitions of any one individual. Their sacrifice deserves nothing less than our highest standards of leadership.

— Rollin E. Trueblood, USMC (Ret.)