Memorial Day for most Americans is a three-day weekend and the start of summer. Pack up the car with the camping gear or hitch the boat or trailer and head off for some fun.
I have a different perspective on Memorial Day these days. I will say having fun was what my son, Cpl. Jeff Starr, USMC, was all about, but I wonder how many stop to reflect on what this day really means.
More than 600,000 Americans have given their lives for the cause of freedom over the last century. Some of those were not even citizens of the United States. It is amazing to think that people want to live in this country so badly they will join the military and fight when they cannot even vote for their leaders. While others, Bill Ayers for one, a former member of the Weather Underground, would take advantage of the rights and freedoms offered by this country and at the same time be remiss at how his group didn’t bomb enough U.S. government buildings during the1960s.
It is an important and unfortunate reality that for people to be free and enjoy the liberties that God intended us to have it is often necessary to have soldiers stand between those who would take freedom and those of us who want to be free. How is it, then, that there are times when the freedom-loving do not appreciate those who stand on that wall, man that post, patrol that dangerous street and sometimes give their lives on our behalf?
I wish I could answer that question.
Memorial Day is about honoring our men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for the freedom of Americans and others less fortunate. If Jeff were here today, he like so many others in the military would simply say they were doing their job. It’s because they are doing their jobs that Americans can take their freedom for granted.
It is just as important to rally behind those Marines and soldiers who have unjustly been accused of crimes while fighting for our freedom. A famous Chinese proverb states that the longest journey starts with one step. Similarly, an effective campaign against injustice to our fighting men starts with the small step of understanding what’s going on. But it cannot stop there. We must ensure that the freedom they were fighting for is not taken away from them. Support for the accused is our responsibility. Trial by the media should not be tolerated. From a personal standpoint I would like to point out that, so far, charges against all but one of the Marines accused of wrongdoing stemming from their activity in Haditha, Iraq, have been dismissed.
Our men and woman in service deserve the full support of the American public. Our men and woman who made the ultimate sacrifice should be remembered as America’s blood and treasure. There will be more lives lost in the next century, beginning with the global war on terror. These losses will be from our military volunteers who serve as Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen, and who would remark “I am just doing my job.” I would suggest thanking those you see in uniform at the airport or other places for their service, or buying their meal at a restaurant. They are the ones who may not come home the next time.
As Plato, the Greek philosopher once said: “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
Brian Starr’s son, Marine Cpl. Jeffrey Starr of Snohomish, was killed in Ramadi, Iraq, on May 30, 2005.
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