Gemini, aged 13, writes of the significance of a day like Memorial Day and what it means to her.
Tomorrow is a day of great importance for our country, the United States of America. Tomorrow is a day where we pause, reflect, and remember those brave men and women who died the ultimte death: they died for our country so that we could remain free today.
No matter what the war (World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, the Falkland Islands, Grenada, the Iraq wars, or the war against worldwide terrorism), innocent women, men, and even children perished, and it is in their memory that we celebrate Memorial Day.
We also remember the veterans who served in our Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, the Seabees, the Coast Guard, the Reserves, etc.). This is why you see people visiting the graves of their loved ones who died as a result of war or old injuries incurred in the service and laying flags, flowers, and whatnot at the grave sites, and this is why you will see military personnel, resplendent in their military finest, being honored with speeches, parades, concerts, or memorial services. This is why you see flags being displayed everywhere, and this is why people act so somber or sad on Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a sad day, especially for those families who have lost loved ones in war or in peacetime, and it should not be taken lightly.
Tomorrow, we will go to the Veteran's Hospital here in Nashville, like we do every year, and we take food and "cheer" to the hospitalized veterans, to let them know that we are thinking of them, and that we care for them; and then we will go to the annual Memorial Day parade and then to the Memorial Day tribute following the parade. My sister, Ronee', will sing during the Tribute, and she will, no doubt, sing something like "God Bless America", "The Star-Spangled Banner", or "America The Beautiful".
After the Memorial Day Tribute, we will then have a picnic (if the weather holds; it's been rather rainy as of late), and then there will be a concert with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and several "surprise guests", which will be held at Centennial Park. The Tribute will be held there, too.
My grandpa, Armand Moliere, a veteran himself, will be there, and he will pay homage to his fallen brothers in battle, and he will probably cry. He always does. He is in his early 70's now, and he still remembers his time in the service (although brief by most military standards; he was in the Armed Forces for two years, in the Army Air Corps [now known as the Air Force]), he lost buddies that were in at the same time he was; and it is because of this hat he--and we--must remember our fallen men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives; dying for our country, so that we could remain free today.
I have always liked Memorial Day, especially since we now get out of school just beforehand (we used to get out in early June; but the school board moved the school ending date up to late May, before Memorial Day), and we can do whatever we please. Now, most people really don't go to the parades, remember our vets, or know the meaning behind the Day, but I do, and I am always glad to remember our veterans, especially since my grandpa Is a veteran, as is Roberto Sormiento, who is a friend of mama's and is currently in the Marine Reserves. (He goes on duty once a month for a weekend, and he was in Afghanistan just after September 11, 2001, in the Marines, so he is definitely military material!) I also knew a veteran named Early Pike, whom my sister wrote about a few times earlier, and I know of other veterans, so I choose to remember them. I also choose to remember those who died, and this is one reason why Memorial Day is so meaningful to me.
~Written by Gemini In Ai Lee Ranessa Sandusky, aged 13, on Sunday, May 30, 2004 (Memorial Day Eve).
Tomorrow is a day of great importance for our country, the United States of America. Tomorrow is a day where we pause, reflect, and remember those brave men and women who died the ultimte death: they died for our country so that we could remain free today.
