"...as we pause and remember our troops who have fought and are fighting for our freedom.."
I don't remember specifically the exact words of the reporter that was on tv. The only words that stood out to me were those of the above.
Fighting for our freedom.
I seem to have a problem with that very sentence. I wasn't aware that this country is being held under captivity or as a prisoner of any sort. The last time I checked, they are still very much independent.
What freedom then?
The war in Iraq and Afghanistan in present time has killed about 5000 U.S Troops leaving another 30,000 others wounded. Billions of dollars have been spent in order to finance the war that is going on there. This year marks their sixth year anniversary of the battle in the Middle East.
I never really understood what Memorial Day was really about. Coming here, I just thought it was another holiday designated just to drink beers and have barbecues while laying out in the sun. This year however, my perspectives have changed and I realize Memorial Day can be a hard form of celebration for many people in this country.
Credit: The New York Times
I cannot imagine being in the position of the families who have lost their loved ones due to the war. I cannot imagine being the soldier who has lost all his limbs at the age of 18 due to an ambush attack while serving in Iraq. I cannot imagine being the fiance of a soldier who is being enlisted, praying every day that he will live to see the sun the next morning.
I want this war to end. I want every war to end. With every American soldier killed, there is a family back home that waits to hear the news of his or her death. With every Iraqi shot, there is a wife and children somewhere that is left widowed and orphaned.
This Memorial Day, I remember the people that have lost a father, a mother, a brother, a child, a husband or a fiance in the war.
The next time you pop open a beer can, drink to them and the people they have lost. Drink to the blood that was spilled and lives ended. Drink for the mother that buried her son. Drink to the son that cried by his father's coffin. Drink to the woman that lost the love of her life.
Drink to their bravery and to their strength.
The moon is lonesome without you, but I look at it each night as it rises and see you staring back at me. I hope you are at peace. I miss you baby. Always fighting strong for your dreams, my little hummingbird.
—David (who lost his girlfriend, Ashton Goodman on May 26, 2009 in Afghanistan)
source: Oprah.com