What Memorial Day Means: A Soldier Reflects

(Editor’s Note: I asked Bill Vandenbush, Ocean Shores resident and author of the chilling, up-lifting Vietnam War memoir, “If Morning Never Comes,” to contribute an article on what he thinks of, on Memorial Day. Good soldier that he is, he came through on short notice.)

By Bill Vandenbush

According to Wikipedia, Memorial Day is a U.S. federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May.  It commemorates U.S. men and women who died while serving in military service. Memorial Day was first enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War and was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action. 

I include this because I think there are many people who aren’t exactly sure why we celebrate this day. I think there are many Americans who abhor the military and all it stands for, and they feel that celebrating Memorial Day is the same as supporting and celebrating war. 

As a combat soldier (Vietnam ’68-’69), I can tell you that most combat soldiers and sailors do not create, support, or celebrate war. The military is a tool used by high ranking government officials to wage war. As such, it is not the combatants on either side that have caused the war to be waged. It is the combatant’s job to obey the orders passed down by our elected government officials and to fight the wars on their behalf. 

There is an old cliché, “Freedom is not free.”  Well, freedom should be free. We shouldn’t have to keep sending our young men and women to war to obtain our freedom, and some day in the not too distant future that may come to pass, but for the present we are still killing people and waging wars in the guise of purchasing our freedom.

Throughout history men and women have taken up arms, first to create and then to defend the freedoms of this glorious country of ours. These men and women do this with the strong belief that we have wisely chosen our elected leaders, and that 

those leaders will make the most effective decisions in preserving and protecting our American way of life. That means that we, the voting citizens of the United States who have elected those who represent us in government, are the ones who have ultimately waged war and sent our military troops into battle. It is the responsibility of the American people to be informed and to be wise in casting our votes, because we, the voters, are the ones who hold the future of our freedoms in our hands.

To me Memorial Day is a day to celebrate and give thanks to the many men and women, throughout history, who have given their life in the pursuit of preserving and protecting our freedoms. It is also a time to reflect on how we came to be involved in the many wars we have waged and what can be done to prevent war and the loss of life in the future, while still preserving our freedom.

The men and women who have given their lives to secure our freedom and American way of life, must be held in high esteem. If not, we devalue the very core of our American ideals of freedom.  This country was founded on the concept of freedom and equal opportunity for all. Memorial Day it is an excellent opportunity to remember what we stand for and how we obtained the rights and freedoms we enjoy. Memorial Day is not just a respite from work or school, it is a day of  offering thanks to those who have died for our country.

Serving one’s country in time of war is an honorable thing to do, but it has an indelible effect on the individual, his family, and friends. Every human life lost in the commission of war is felt deeply by family, friends, and community. Every person who serves carries the scars of war and the wounds are often passed from generation to generation. The cost of war goes a long way past the individual sacrifice to include a burden on an entire nation. The time has come to seek ways to maintain our freedom that heals rather than wounds. As our nation grows older we find it much harder to heal from the wounds of war. 

While serving my country in 1969, I was very badly wounded.  For over forty years now I have lived with the wounds of war, both physical and emotional. Every day I have to remind myself to go out in the world and try to be the best and most productive person I can be, regardless of the pain, regardless of the emotional discomfort. I often share my story with others in the desire that they will find that there is hope that we can find peace and freedom in the same place.

Standing up for what we believe in is often a very difficult thing to do, but if we don’t stand up now we will be forever buried by our indecision. 

I hope this Memorial Day you will take the time to honor our fallen heroes, to reflect on how our freedom is won, and to find the strength to act on making this a better and more peaceful country in which to live.