Paying tribute at Arlington

Paying tribute at Arlington

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 25, 2009 14:29:46 EDT

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama marked his first Memorial Day as president Monday, saluting the men and women of America’s fighting forces, both living and dead, as “the best of America.”

The president spoke after participating in a solemn holiday tradition, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, the burial ground for American veterans dating to the Revolutionary War.

In brief remarks after laying the wreath and observing a moment of silence, Obama said he wondered why the country’s fallen warriors felt a sense of duty and answered the call to serve, knowing they might have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

“Why in an age when so many have acted only in pursuit of narrowest self-interest have the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines of this generation volunteered all that they have on behalf of others,” he said. “Why have they been willing to bear the heaviest burden?”

“Whatever it is, they felt some tug. They answered a call. They said ‘I’ll go.’ That is why they are the best of America,” Obama said. “That is what separates them from those who have not served in uniform, their extraordinary willingness to risk their lives for people they never met.”
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What President Obama said is beautiful and echoes what many of us wonder all the time. While some were drafted in wars of the past, they also gave their lives for the sake of the nation and what was asked of them. What does it take to be like that? I always wondered when I thought of my father and my uncles and a cousin that served in Vietnam. All of them survived and all of them enlisted. I grew up surrounded by veterans and ended up marrying one. I still, to this day, wonder among all the excuses he used to enlist, why exactly he felt he had to.

Over the years I've met some of the most wonderful men and women this country has to offer. Whatever it is inside of them hangs on long after the days of wearing a uniform and boots ends. They still go on serving others. They go into the police force, DEA agents, become firefighters and emergency responders. They enter into the Reserves and National Guards. No matter what they do, they go on giving until their last breath comes.

Some go on to serve other veterans, homeless veterans and other citizens. They go into the Disabled American Veterans and other service organizations helping veterans maneuver around the red tape and bureaucracy of the VA making sure they get what they need and what they've already paid for by their service to this country.

Veterans that go into organizations like Point Man Ministries taking care of the spiritual needs of veterans from all generations.

Even veterans going into groups like Rolling Thunder and Nam Knights, going on to be of service to others so many years after their duty has been done. I just spent the last 5 days with them, watching them and listening to them, all the time wondering how this nation was so blessed to have so many willing to do for others while asking so little for themselves.

The fallen, those we remember this Memorial Day as with all other years were the same way. They knew the risk they were taking but did it anyway. To forget them is to refuse to acknowledge exactly what made them risk it all for the sake of the rest of us. Sure, we can debate the necessity of the war they died fighting, that's political arguments and I doubt anyone will ever find a way for people to all agree over the worthiness, but we all manage to agree on the men and women sent to fight the nation's battles. Only days out of a year we take time to remember them. We remember the lives lost on Memorial Day and the living from all generations on Veterans Day. We remember them on Vietnam Veterans Day and we celebrate them on the 4th of July. For the rest of the year, they humbly serve with all they have to give and we are all better for them having been here because our dependence on them never seems to end.

Vietnam veterans fought to make sure PTSD was treated and recognized as service connected and because the government invested a lot of money into it, the mental health community and Chaplains take care of people from all walks of life after trauma. But we never seem to notice when we have a crisis and find someone right there to help us after.

Most of what we use today was developed either for NASA and the space missions or the military but we never seem to notice when we use the inventions.

The giving these men and women are ready to do just never ends and when their lives do come to an end, their families pick up where they left off. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing to finally, once and for all, live up to the motto we so easily let fly from our lips the rest of the year when we say "grateful nation" and prove it with what we are willing to do for them?