A day in memoriam.We take a day to honor men and women who have served. It is a day in remembrance of sacrifice, honor, love, and service. In a time when people are walking on flags and disrespecting so much about our nation and government, I want people to realize that you can disagree, but be supportive. It’s ok to be anti-war and pro-soldier.
As a journalist, I understand so little. It is not the loss of life that gets to me. It is not the taps playing slowly in the background, the sound of gunfire in a 21 gun salute, or even the touching words of a Corporal speaking on behalf of his fallen brethren. What really hits me to the core?
It is their dedication.
It is a lifelong commitment to an ideal. You may salute a flag, pledge allegiance to a piece of cloth, serve a government of people, but these are tangible things you can touch and hold. Yet, to serve an ideal, something that cannot be held in your hand, something too big to physically see, something that has no smell or sound. An ideal that stands more powerful than any object on this planet. This is what I see in soldier’s eyes as they salute their brothers and sisters no longer with us. This is what prompts a man to stand at attention for 4 hours in honor of those who have died.
Something deeper than I have known. In some ways, I wish I could know this level of dedication, but I don’t know if I could handle the price. The pain that never heals. The ache that shakes your soul. Can a simple thank you to these soldiers be enough? Is a day in memoriam enough?
Pickens offered it’s Memorial Day Service on May 25, 2015 at Sunrise Memorial Gardens in Jasper, Georgia. Commission Chair Robert Wilson offered a welcome to the service which presented the colors and sang our National Anthem, and America the Beautiful, before Retired Colonel Paul Trotti offered a speech in remembrance of those who fell.
Several veterans groups offered up wreaths to commemorate the soldiers and the DAV Honor Guard presented their 21 Gun Salute. Then, a somber silence rolled over the crowd as taps were played to close the service.
