Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day in the U.S., a holiday where we stop to remember the men and women who have died while serving in the armed forces.

Having many family members who were and are in the military, as well as dating an airman and hoping to join soon myself, this is a significant day. My country would be radically different if these men and women of the past had not stood up to serve their country.

Have all of the wars America has fought been necessary or "just" wars? Maybe, maybe not. Looking back, we have the luxury of being able to see all sides of the story, or at least much more of it than the people living it could see. Sadly, we oftentimes look at past generations' motivations and actions through our "modern" lenses with arrogance and judgment that is out of context.

Thus, this isn't a holiday justifying or celebrating war. It's quite the opposite. It's a day where we suspend judgment and political affiliation to honor the people who worked, sacrificed, and died for a country that they believed was worth fighting for. They took a stand and they fought for reasons specific to each person. Family, honor, pay, country, conviction, beliefs, hundreds of reasons. But the thing is..... they stood up. They stood at a time when they were needed and stood in the gap for their countrymen.