Memorial Day Is Not About Family Reunions, A Day At The Beach, Or Spending Time At An Amusement Park
Nowadays, if it were not for the boob tube, most Americans wouldn't know what Memorial Day is about
By Howie Katz
The iconic photo of US Marines on Iwo Jima raising the American flag at the top of Mount Suribachi. In thirty-six days of fighting on the island, nearly 7,000 US Marines were killed.
Memorial Day should be a solemn day during which we remember and honor all those who lost their lives fighting for our country, from the Revolutionary War through the war in Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, nowadays most Americans wouldn't know what Memorial Day was about if it weren't for the boob tube. Instead of honoring the fallen heroes, Americans use this day off from work for family reunions, a day at the beach, or to have a good time at Amusement parks like Disney World. They could care less about those who died so that they could enjoy this and every other day.
Take
just one war, World War II. During that war, more than 400,00 American
soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen died fighting in the European and
Pacific theaters.
US Marines crawl their way up the coastline of Iwo Jima, while under heavy fire from the surprisingly intact Japanese defenses
One battle is personal for me. Two of my high school friends died fighting on the sands of Iwo Jima. One of them, Freddie Warren, preceded the legendary Y.A. Tittle as quarterback of the Marshall Mavericks football team. Thus, Memorial Day has not been a joyous day for me.
And a word about American POWs. Those who surrendered to the enemy were no less heroes than those who died in combat.
US Marines taken prisoner by the Chinese at the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea
American POWs in North Vietnam