Remember Them All

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and it’s a time for our nation to silently reflect on the men and women who died in service to this country. To pay our respect to their families, communities and give thanks for the impact their lives and their sacrifice have had on our freedom.

Freedom many of us on any other day take for granted.

It is a time to visit the graves of the fallen and listen to "Taps" played. To place flowers on the graves of men and women you never knew but feel are part of your family, and to share stories of them with your children so that they may understand what it means to be a hero.

I remember the first time I heard "Taps" played. My husband was stationed at Fort Bragg with the 82nd Airborne Division and we were sitting in his barracks drinking coffee. It was raining hard outside and the sound of "Taps" drifted in through the window, soft at first and then louder, not because the music became louder but because the entire base seemed to be silent.

Goose bumps raced up my arms and tears fell down my cheeks. I turned to ask Kenn what we were listening to, but his eyes were fixed out the window and his mind was somewhere else.

I’ve never forgotten how it felt to hear that somber song played on a base where so many had fallen. For us it wasn’t just a song, it was a visitation from old friends lost and the spirit of the 82nd itself. It played every night at 10 and each time nothing moved or spoke because all that lived there knew the sacrifice it represented.

It’s been 12 years since then, and now we are civilians. The week before Memorial Day, most of my coworkers and friends are talking about barbecues, camping trips and the big sale at Macy’s. Children are excited about the four-day weekend and the flags that were raised years ago have become tattered and dirty over the long winter.

There will be no barbecues tomorrow in Afghanistan. Soldiers in Iraq will not be shopping for shoes at the Red White and Blue Sale, and the flags they fly will not be plastic tablecloths. The soldiers who lie in our cemeteries will see their loved ones tomorrow, but they will not be able to hug them or go swimming in the lake with their friends.

And how will we pay our respect to the soldiers who didn’t die, but came home to a world they don’t recognize? With torn yellow ribbons and car magnets?

We live in a world where medical technology is bringing more and more soldiers home who before may have died on the battlefield and in training. We find ourselves as a nation caring for a generation of severely impacted men and women with little or no resources. Their sacrifice has been devastating to them and their families as well.

So Monday, when you raise you flags to remember the fallen, take a minute to remember the men and women like my husband as well, who may not have been physically taken from us, but remain changed just the same. Remember the young soldiers with PTSD, amputations and debilitating brain injuries.

Remember their families, their children and the communities that support them. Remember them all, and when you hear "Taps" played, remember our nation, how strong and beautiful she is,  and how lucky we are to be falling asleep wrapped in the safe arms our military provides us.

Replace your old dirty flag, and fly the new one every day, not just Memorial Day. Make sure your children know why we are the greatest nation on earth, remember those that aren’t home yet, and whisper a prayer for them.

Memorial Day is for remembering. Remember them all.