We Remember

          Yesterday I met Denise who owns the Stone & Thistle Farm in East Meredith, New York.  Denise shared with us that her son Riley joined the army so he could fight for our country, but was selected to serve in the honor guard at Arlington National Cemetery.  The army upholds a particular look for the honor guard and at 6' 3" with a size 34" waist, Riley fit the bill perfectly.  So instead of fighting terrorists abroad, he spends his days assisting at military funerals and guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  While he may not have gotten his dream assignment, I hope Riley understands what an important role he plays in creating our national memory.

          It's human nature to remember, to look back on our past and reflect on it.  Some of it's good, and some of it's not - but we remember either way.  Memory allows us to learn from past events, to carry them forward, to share them and repeat them if they're good, or to avoid them if they're bad. When we remember, we make the past present so we can learn from it for the future.  

          Remembering is so important to us as a nation that we set apart days to do just that - The Fourth of July, Veterans Day, and, of course, Memorial Day.  On Memorial Day we remember the men and women who gave their lives for the liberties we enjoy.  Those freedoms are worth fighting for, and all who gave the last full measure of devotion to them at least deserve to be remembered.  That's why what Riley does is so important.  He helps us tell the parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, wives and children of our beloved dead that we really do care.  He helps us show them that we are grateful for their sacrifice.  He helps us remember.

         Fulton Meyers was drafted into the army in 1942.  He had just gotten a good job, and his future looked promising.  But war intervened.  Fulton Meyers is my great Uncle; I've never met him.  Uncle Fulton died on the first day of the invasion of Africa in 1942.  He is buried in the American Cemetery in Algiers.  My father's family remembered him lovingly through words that were often choked into silence by lumps in throats.  We are proud of his service to our country.  His picture holds a place of honor in my house among our cherished family photos, framed with the Purple Heart his mother received some months after he died.  My cousin, who also never met Uncle Fulton, still flies the flag that was placed on his coffin by one of Riley's predecessors.  My father honored Uncle Fulton at every holiday by paying for flowers to be placed at his grave in Algiers by one of Riley's colleagues.  I've continued that tradition since my father died, and hope that my daughters will continue to honor Uncle Fulton after I'm gone.  He deserves to be remembered.

          May God bless all who died in service of our country and their families.  May he bless Riley and all who serve and have served in the military.  May you all know that we really do care, that we are grateful, and that we remember.