Tara’s Takes
This past weekend has become the unofficial kickoff to summer. Most schools are on summer break. Many families are opening up their summer cabins. The grilling season is officially here. But, where were you on Monday?
Many of us can tell you exactly where we were when we first heard about the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. For younger kids, they are learning about that day in school. However, the following year, Alan Jackson released the song “Where were you (When the World Stopped Turning).” That song brought to the forefront the emotions many felt as they heard the news. It became an anthem for our nation as we vowed to defend ourselves against terrorists. We promised to never forget.
Some people added flags to our front yards. Others started looking for “Madein- America” labels. Many hugged their loved ones closer and thanked God for the freedoms we have here. And some brave men and women stepped up and joined the military.
For years, we watched news reports as troops deployed.
And we watched welcome home ceremonies. And we stood silently staring at the TV when a flag-draped casket was returned to U.S. soil.
Those people, those that came home not to hugs at a welcome home ceremony but accompanied by fellow soldiers in a casket, are the reason we have the “unofficial kick off to summer.”
I have a brother that was a member of the Minnesota National Guard and was deployed. He came home to hugs. I’ve stood on the sidewalk as kids waved flags as buses of soldiers left for deployment. I worked at the Marshall Independent when the news of Jason Timmerman’s death came to the paper.
However, I have never lost a friend or loved one in war. I’m blessed for that reason. I am also blessed because I live in a country where men and women are willing to put on a uniform and fight for my freedoms every day.
Therefore, our country sets aside one day a year to honor those that have given the ultimate sacrifice. Not Veterans Day or Armed Forces Day, but Memorial Day. This is the day where we thank those not in uniform but those that never made it out of their uniform.
But how do you thank them for that ultimate sacrifice? Simple, you show up and honor them. You take time out of your life enjoying all the freedoms that you have because of them to remember them. It doesn’t matter if you come from a military family or not. You are benefiting from their sacrifice. The best way you can honor them is to remember them.
On Monday, Per was in Balaton, I was in Tracy and then Currie, and Ben and Brady were at Bethel Cemetery covering Memorial Day programs. Both of the programs I attended had decent crowds. However, there was one thing missing: kids. Each audience had fewer than 15 kids. The same went for Balaton. Ben didn’t count, but I could guess that the pattern continued.
When we look at the world around us, we are even more blessed today because or those that joined the military and their families that sacrifice with them. It is simple to be able to thank a veteran or a solider when you see them. And we should continue to do that every chance we get, not just on a certain day of the year.
But we have to make it a priority to thank and honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice by honoring them at a Memorial Day service. We have to show their families, and descendants and fellow soldiers that we will never forget them and never take for granted what they gave us.
As adults, it is our responsibility to show the younger generation the importance and true meaning of Memorial Day. While this Memorial Day has passed, there will always be opportunities to thank our soldiers. And next year, let’s make every Memorial Day program location full with thankful citizens of all ages.
