Memorial Day

When I was a little kid... on this weekend after mass, we'd stop by a huge cemetary in St. Louis. We'd look at these little flat stones and say a quiet prayer. I noticed a lot of other families doing the same thing. Just within that little stand of shade trees, there were dozens, with things like Pfc, Sgt, LT, or Sm1st behind the name.

Sometimes we'd go to the Jefferson Barracks Cemetary where there were white crosses. It was just like you see on TV with row after row, a few had Stars of David, but there were thousands upon thousands. Far more than I could hope to count. My Dad said; "This is where they bury the soldiers who's bodies are sent home. Your uncles aren't here, but we are."

They were "the guys", very much like those I knew and those of more recent generations. It's not hard to imagine the same friendships, comerodery, discomfort, frustrations and conversations I had, occuring among my uncles and their friends.

Part of "We are here" is due to "They aren't here."

Thanks Guys,
Steve

We don't have military cemetaries close to where I live, but there are two cemetaries close to where I work that are of historical note. One, about five blocks north of my office building, is the resting place for some of the original colonists of the Charlotte NC area and includes the graves of a few signers of the Mecklenburg County Declaration of Independence. A larger one about half or three quarter mile from work has many graves of veterans of WWII, WWI, and the Civil War. All of the latter are graves of those who served in the Confederate States of America (CSA) army (as best as I can tell, all of my ancestors who fought in the Civil War wore blue, serving in the Federal army). We have a large memorial to Charlotteans who served in the CSA army.

On a different but related note, when I see my parents in Jacksonville, Florida, I stop by the graves of a brother and sister (died of cystic fibrosis), my grandparents, an aunt (saved me from drowning when I was eight), and others. As a Protestant, I believe they all are past praying for, but I think of the times spent with these great relatives and now the bliss they they (IMHO) enjoy standing before the LORD in Heaven....

All y'all have a great Memorial Day....

Cemeteries...hate them and love them at the same time. My Uncle is buried in France where he was killed in WWII, My dad in a veterans cemetery in Delaware. Speaking of church, one year I was visiting a friend on the Memorial Day weekend in Springfield, Ill. I wend to church there in the morning. Before the sermon the Priest asked if there were any who severed in the military present and asked us to stand up. It was weird such a large congregation but only about 5 of us there. So we stood. He then started clapping and the whole congregation followed. Was very unexpected and very moving. Will never forget it.

A prayer, 1 Corinthians 2:9, for all those who have fallen, who are still here and have served, and who continue to serve to this day. God bless their sacrifices for all of us.