Day after Memorial Day regrets

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 31, 2022

 I wanted to know what it was like for the majority of the people in this country, so yesterday I decided to try to ignore it was Memorial Day. I went shopping and did the normal stuff I usually do as if it was just another day. Ever since I can remember, I always honored Memorial Day. I won't say I "celebrated" it because, to tell the truth, I find it repulsive to celebrate a day like this. A lot of people disagree with me, but, that's what I believe.

My Dad, uncles, and my husband, along with most of our friends, know the price paid to serve this country. The families know it too. What I didn't know was what it was like to ignore them. Today, I'm filled with regrets about doing what the majority of people do. 

What kind of people are they? What do they value? Do they know that the minority of people who have lived in this country, provided for the defense of this whole country?

To me, Memorial Day is bittersweet, because of all the suffering that goes unnoticed and unaddressed. The price of war is always carried off the field of battle, in the hearts of those who lost someone, and in the minds of those who have lost themselves.

These men and women were just like the rest of us in a lot of ways. They had their political views, liked and disliked things, and hated and loved other things. The one thing that bound them together was no matter what divided them at home, in war, they were willing to die for one another. These same simple, heroic humans were willing to do that, yet, back home, people can't bring themselves to talk to someone else they disagree with.

Anyway, this was the first and last time I'll ignore Memorial Day because ignoring them, feels like a betrayal to my family and friends. None of them were, or are, superheroes. Not one of them was perfect. They all had flaws and strengths just like the rest of us. They all had dreams and plans, just like everyone else. Unlike everyone else, they did what none of us will ever do. They gave parts of their lives so we could live ours with rights we are too afraid to stand up and stand in line for. The right to decide who and what we want to become and how we want to live, worship, or not, where we want to live, and how we want to live our life. I choose to never again live as if they never existed and Memorial Day is just the beginning of summer.

PBS Memorial Day concert