A Memorial Day tradition

When I grew up rural Central Pennsylvania, my Cub Scout pack or my Little League Team would walk each year in our local Memorial Day Parade. We’d get dressed up in our scout or baseball uniform and we’d meet at the far end of town outside a local church. We’d line up in small rows across the road and wait for the parade to begin. We’d get stuck in front one of the many fire companies competing for best looking truck or behind a parade float with local veterans squeezed into their old uniforms or wearing black hats with Korea or Vietnam Veteran embroidered across the front panel.

The town was rather small, less than 1,600 people, but would draw from neighboring towns. The parade route was rather short, two miles at most, and we’d always end up at the local Veteran’s of Foreign Wars post. An adult or two would walk with us kids, trying to keep us in line as we threw candy to towns people lined up along the side of the road. I imagine them joking about drawing the short straw! My friends and I looked forward to the parade, because it meant we only had a couple more weeks of school and it represented the unofficial start to summer. The break from school couldn’t come fast enough. Wahooooo!

The parade always ended with a community-wide picnic with hamburgers and hot dogs. There would usually be a speech or two from a local dignitary or someone still in the service who had moved away, but “had done good.” The men or women would talk about sacrifice and honor. I would bow my head at the appropriate times, but the message usually went over my head, I was still a kid more worried about my own life than anything else.

I think a lot more about those sacrifices now.

I’m sure having a son in the Armed Service plays a part of it, but it’s also the gift of getting older and being thankful. Memorial Day is ultimately a day of respect and remembrance for those who sacrificed their lives in military service and the loss to their families, friends, and communities.

I’m not one to tell others how to live their life. I think there are lots of ways to honor those who sacrificed with their life, many different than my own, but I would make one suggestion: No matter how you spend your day be sure to take a few minutes to remember those who gave their life for the preservation of democracy and a peaceful world. It’s the least we can do.

Image by Pexels.