PETER WALDNER ILLUSTRATION
On Memorial Day 2009, President Barack Obama gave an eloquent eulogy for those who have died wearing American uniforms: “If the fallen could speak to us, what would they say? Would they console us? Perhaps they might say that while they could not know they’d be called upon to storm a beach through a hail of gunfire, they were willing to give up everything for the defense of our freedom; that while they could not know they’d be called upon to jump into the mountains of Afghanistan and seek an elusive enemy, they were willing to sacrifice all for their country; that while they couldn’t possibly know they would be called to leave this world for another, they were willing to take that chance to save the lives of their brothers and sisters in arms.”
Officially sanctioned ceremonies for remembering the war dead go back at least as far as Homer. And every year, at the crossroads of spring and summer, Americans continue that honored — and essential — tradition of refusing to forget. (more…)
