fontman
05-29-06, 08:14 AM
Op-Ed
The Jacksonville Daily News
Each year at this time the nation observes Memorial Day - a time put aside to honor the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Memorial Day has long been treasured as a very special time for this nation's active duty and former military and their families. No one knows more than they how expensive freedom and the American way of life truly can be.
Thousands of residents in Onslow and Carteret counties have close ties to the military. Sadly, many of the men and women who have served and paid the price for freedom have been friends, family and neighbors.
Today some will wear red poppies to express their sorrow and support for those who died in places such as Ardennes, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, the Chosin Reservoir, Chu Lai, Beirut, the Gulf, Kabul and Fallujah. The names of those places echo with the sounds of war, but they also serve as a reminder that the principles this country holds most dear do not come cheap. The price of freedom is calculated in lives.
Today there will also be services across the nation and here in Onslow and Carteret counties. People will speak of those who are gone, wreaths will be laid in their memories and prayers will be offered. Some will shed tears for those whose hopes, dreams and futures were given in the prime of life. Others will remember friends they fought beside.
At the end of these ceremonies, what has become one of the loneliest, mournful sounds in the world will ring out - the bugle call Taps.
According to historic accounts, Taps was first created as an alternative to the "Lights Out" bugle call during the Civil War. After it was played over the grave of a buried soldier, the sounding of Taps became the customary method of honoring the dead.
The official version of Taps has no words, but over the years they've been added - unofficially. The customary second verse says it all:
"Go to sleep, peaceful sleep, May the soldier or sailor, God keep. On the land or the deep, Safe in sleep."
In 1968, Congress decreed that Memorial Day would fall on the last Monday in May, making for a threeday weekend and, in the opinion of veterans' organizations, depriving it of its solemnity. And, if you believe in polls, one shows that only 28 percent of Americans know the meaning of the holiday.
A special White House Commission on Remembrance is trying to ensure that the meaning is not lost and is calling for a public moment of remembrance at 3 p.m. today.
Unlike other days deemed holidays, Memorial Day is a time for reflection and appreciation, a time for the citizens of this country to remember how much those who lie in Arlington and other cemeteries around the world have given.
It's a time to honor those men and women for their sacrifices and hope that their sleep is, indeed, peaceful.
The Jacksonville Daily News
Each year at this time the nation observes Memorial Day - a time put aside to honor the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Memorial Day has long been treasured as a very special time for this nation's active duty and former military and their families. No one knows more than they how expensive freedom and the American way of life truly can be.
Thousands of residents in Onslow and Carteret counties have close ties to the military. Sadly, many of the men and women who have served and paid the price for freedom have been friends, family and neighbors.
Today some will wear red poppies to express their sorrow and support for those who died in places such as Ardennes, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, the Chosin Reservoir, Chu Lai, Beirut, the Gulf, Kabul and Fallujah. The names of those places echo with the sounds of war, but they also serve as a reminder that the principles this country holds most dear do not come cheap. The price of freedom is calculated in lives.
Today there will also be services across the nation and here in Onslow and Carteret counties. People will speak of those who are gone, wreaths will be laid in their memories and prayers will be offered. Some will shed tears for those whose hopes, dreams and futures were given in the prime of life. Others will remember friends they fought beside.
At the end of these ceremonies, what has become one of the loneliest, mournful sounds in the world will ring out - the bugle call Taps.
According to historic accounts, Taps was first created as an alternative to the "Lights Out" bugle call during the Civil War. After it was played over the grave of a buried soldier, the sounding of Taps became the customary method of honoring the dead.
The official version of Taps has no words, but over the years they've been added - unofficially. The customary second verse says it all:
"Go to sleep, peaceful sleep, May the soldier or sailor, God keep. On the land or the deep, Safe in sleep."
In 1968, Congress decreed that Memorial Day would fall on the last Monday in May, making for a threeday weekend and, in the opinion of veterans' organizations, depriving it of its solemnity. And, if you believe in polls, one shows that only 28 percent of Americans know the meaning of the holiday.
A special White House Commission on Remembrance is trying to ensure that the meaning is not lost and is calling for a public moment of remembrance at 3 p.m. today.
Unlike other days deemed holidays, Memorial Day is a time for reflection and appreciation, a time for the citizens of this country to remember how much those who lie in Arlington and other cemeteries around the world have given.
It's a time to honor those men and women for their sacrifices and hope that their sleep is, indeed, peaceful.