Memorial Day 2005

Posted by Hello One of the things I've been struggling with lately, concerning this blog, is, as I really got into my second year of writing, it hit me hard just how repetitive my life is. I'm going to the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery tomorrow just as I did last year. (Here's some pictures from that day.) I don't want to simply repeat everything I've already written about...so...what? What shall I say? Well, upon looking back at my posts from last year, it appears I didn't write about it at all. I took and posted some pictures from the day, but I didn't write about Memorial Day at all. I suppose because we're in the middle of a controversial war, the usual pat phrases don't quite do their job. I happen to believe that our military is in Iraq guarding our freedom. But, I'm trying to imagine how I would feel if I didn't believe that. During peace-time, there are accidents of all sorts in the military when people are hurt or killed. We say they are hurt in "the line of duty" or maybe, "it's a dangerous line of work." They certainly deserve our thoughts on Memorial Day. They too, sacrificed for their country. But how about the sailors on the USS Cole that were killed by the explosive-laden speed boat? They were doing their job, the nation was not at war, yet they were attacked because they were American servicemen. I know, I know...American servicemen propping up puppet-regimes in Saudi Arabia and Israel, and Iran and Iraq before that, and Panama before that. Hell, let's throw in Great Britain while we're at it. Come to think of it, we've propped up a fair cross-section of this whole globe throughout our history. I wonder why? The point is, these servicemen were killed in the line of duty. These days our military is all voluntary. So, everyone that loses their life does so in the line of duty. Whether they're on the front line in Iraq or in a kitchen in Georgia, they're serving our country by putting its needs ahead of theirs. This sacrifice to something bigger than themselves is what makes all of us look up to them. We honor each and every one of them.

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