I wanted so much to write something special about Memorial Day, but it’s simply not in me. I’ve seen war. Most of my family has seen it and experienced it. Yet somehow, I draw a blank when I think of this day.
The day, or the thought of this day, is beyond words, and perhaps, it should be. I’ve looked, looked deeply, and I can see nothing in me that I can add to many others I have read. Do you ever wonder how many people actually know why we celebrate this day? Very few I imagine.
And yet...
We were still in the north; we hadn’t “gone south” yet. It was a normal day on the side of some nameless mountain. We were just fooling around, picking the leeches off, grabbing a bite to eat. Big John’s squad had gone out on patrol. Normal.
Well no, not quite normal. Big John’s squad ran into difficulties. We could hear it from where we sat. “It” had hit the fan, and there was little we could could do to help. We could do little, but Watkins had other ideas. He grabbed his weapon and ran through the trees crying, “Big John ... Big John!”
Watkins was black, and Big John was white — yet Watkins was willing to go screaming through the bush to help Big John. He was willing to offer himself up for the love of his friend.
War is hell.
We all know that. It’s been said in many different ways. It’s almost a
cliche, yet war also displays some of the most noble qualities that make us human. Of course there is valor, but most importantly there is love ... the love Watkins felt for Big John and the love returned by Big John. It has nothing to do with sex, or men and women. It had everything to do with valuing another’s life as much as your own. Pure love.
We will celebrate Memorial Day. We will give great speeches and visit the graves of the fallen brave. We will talk about duty, honor, and country, and perhaps throw in some of mom’s apple pie — at least, those of us who still remember the day. But we need to remind ourselves that those guys did not die for duty, honor, country, or even mom’s pie. They died so that the poor sad son-of-a-gun beside them could live, if only for a few minutes more.
They died for love.
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