On Memorial Day, according to United States Code, the nation’s flag must be displayed at half-staff until noon, when it is raised at full staff.
This sentiment, it is said, aims first to pay tribute to the more than a million people who died under arms in the service of the country, then to the living who continue in their place in the defense of freedom.
Perhaps for some, this notion has been lost, as Memorial Day has become a three-day gateway to summer vacations, barbecues and road trips. But as we travel through flag-draped neighborhoods this weekend, knowing that our fellow Americans remain in danger this Memorial Day should never be far from our minds. Nor the reasons why they are there.
Those who succeed their fallen predecessors take the sacred oath to “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Ordering America’s youth to put themselves in harm’s way to defend this mandate is a solemn commitment; volunteer to defend him even more.
The siren song of war is just a drumbeat away. As the conflict continues in Ukraine, America still seems embroiled in a war or military conflict somewhere on the planet. Many of those who deplore the United States’ withdrawal from the endless and unnecessary war in Afghanistan are now pushing for military action against the drug cartels in Mexico or for larger interventions on the other side of the planet. The appeal of solutions via military violence unfortunately remains popular.
That’s why it’s so important to ensure that conflicts abroad actually involve America’s core interests – and that they are not undertaken for reasons of petty hubris or moralistic incitement. There is reason to doubt that some of the engagements Americans have been sent to in recent years meet these criteria. But there is no reason to doubt the courage and dedication of those who were sent to fight these battles or the sacrifice of those who will not return to their loved ones.
Some are calling for a return of Memorial Day to its original date of celebration, May 30, the day chosen when it was called Decoration Day in 1868. They believe that this change would restore the historical and solemn reflection to the holiday which, for some, became simply the end of a three-day weekend.
The origins of the first Memorial Day, however, are difficult to locate. After the Civil War, at different times and in different places, it became customary to decorate the graves of the Union and Confederate war dead. The practice itself is ancient and was carried out in smaller settings across the country long before the War Between the States.
However, whatever the day, whatever the name, time and place it started, the reason remains the same. Every human life is precious, and every young person who makes the ultimate sacrifice deserves respect and honor, no matter how wise or foolish the decisions of their superiors, this Memorial Day.
A version of this editorial was originally published in 2018.
California Daily Newspapers
