Emperor Darth Misha has penned typed an homage to the fallen defenders of freedom and what it means to honor them on this day.
It's beautifully written and gets the message through in a moving way about just what today is all about. (I couldn't help hearing Ronald Reagan's voice in my head as I read it.)
Just a taste:
The soldier does not crave your gratitude, he does not ask for your grief and he does not long for your wails and moans.He never crawled up on that wall for any of these.
All that he asks in return is your support. All that he hopes for is that you make the best of the gift that he has given you, that you never forget him and the reason that he's there, that someone else will pick up the torch and carry it onwards if he should fall and that you will do all you can to make sure that his sacrifice wasn't in vain.
He hasn't got the time to keep an eye on what goes on inside the castle, he's busy making sure that there is a castle tomorrow as well, and he depends on YOU to make sure that what's in there is worth saving and worth giving your life for.
He does not want you to pull him off the wall, leaving the sacrifices of his brothers in arms worthless. He knows why he's up there, he was the one to volunteer to go after all, and he wants to be able to finish the job he has started. He yearns to live, yet is prepared to die if he has to.
What he needs is for you to let him know that the home fires are still burning, and that we will not falter where he has refused to yield an inch.
That's why it's called the home front.
Okay, that was a course, not just a taste. Misha's got links to few other great Memorial Day posts. Read it all!
Posted by Tuning Spork at May 31, 2004 03:43 PM