Really? No one started a Memorial Day thread? Thread

I looked around and didn't see anything. If I missed it, feel free to delete or append.

I tend to treat Memorial Day like most other holidays -- just another day at work with a little extra food. But lots of shit these days seems to revolve around thoughts of my dad, who served four years in the Navy in the late '40s and early '50s and doesn't have many Memorial days left. One of the big regrets of his life is that he never made it to a war zone, so with him in mind, it's the least I can do to take a little time today and be thankful for all the sailors, soldiers, Marines and the like who have served this country for so long.

He'll never see this and phone conversations are impossible, but I'll say it anyway. Happy Memorial Day, Dad. Love ya.

 

A few veterans I know don't want to be thanked for their service on Memorial Day. The holiday is not about those who lived, but those who died.

 

Memorial Day honors those who gave their lives for their service.

If you want to honor living service personnel, that's what Veterans Day is for.

 

I, myself, thought about starting a thread yesterday but didn't do so for whatever reason.
I know it's a day late, ust want to say Thank You to all those I'm serving with, a special Thank You to my fellow soldiers (airmen, Marines and sailors) in harm's way downrange and just how much I appreciate those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom and our country.
Without them, our country wouldn't have the chance to be the greatest country in the world to live in (yes, I know it's jacked up in a lot of respects, but it sure as heck beats everywhere else).

 

Memorial Day in more recent years seems to have turned into a day that honors military service rather than those who died. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that. To me (and my Korean war vet dad), it seems more respectful to keep the focus on those who gave their lives.