A healing

  Memorial day. Hopefully we all know by now what we are commemorating, the lives lost in the defense of our nation. Yes, we hear about a celebration, that is supposed to somehow ease the pain. It follows along the same line of having a celebration of life instead of a funeral. The intent is to deflect from the reality of the situation. We are becoming quite conscious of anything negative happening in our lives and attempting to find ways to negate that. Personally, I think that is a mistake, I believe we should  face reality head on and learn to deal with that. I can only see more of the same insecurity, dependence and confusion that it is causing. That's the way I see that. Creating emotional cripples dependent on pills and therapists. 

  I retired from the U.S. Navy back in 1993 after serving a twenty year career. I was never engaged in any combat, although I was there for many conflicts. I was just another sailor in the fleet, like all others, doing what needed to be done. It is true that each of us have our own reasons, our own motivations for doing so. In my experience I would say patriotism is pretty low on the list. I did see some of my shipmates get injured and I heard later on that at least one died from those injuries. But those injuries weren't inflicted by a enemy, just an accident. We all served for a different reason. Some of those reasons I found hard to imagine, like wanting to just get away from home because the situation there was very bad. Some stayed long enough to finish that first enlistment, some didn't make it that far, and then there were the lifers, like me. Twenty years or possibly more. It was a lifetime, or so it seemed. Today, I just smile about that.

  The last time the United States officially declared war was for WW2. Even though we have lost thousands of lives in Korea, Viet Nam, and various other regions since WW2 none are officially a war. Isn't that amazing? They have been classified as a war for political and legal purposes but not declared so by congress. It's the same old story about names and the naming of actions. In the official record books we have never lost a war! The last one was WW2 and we were victorious! All those conflicts, police actions and sending advisors following that victory weren't wars. We couldn't lose. We did lose many thousands of lives however. 

  Being a retired Navy man I have noticed that when it comes to wars the foot soldiers, the army get all the attention. You don't hear a whole lot about the sailors. The United States has had a navy since the beginning.  On October 13, 1775 the Navy was created. Sailors have fought in every war since. During WW2 a total of 62,914 sailors perished. Of that number 30,931 were killed in action. The number of sailors that went to meet Davy Jones I don't have. It is those that my thoughts turn to on memorial day as I remember.

  Memorial day, originally called decoration day, was a day to remember and commemorate the lives lost in the "late rebellion." Yes, at the time it wasn't called a war, it was a rebellion. In fact, Congress never declared that a war at all. Another case of changing the terms to suit a narrative or satisfy a political agenda. The intent of the day was to place flowers or other appropriate decorations on the graves of the fallen. That's a little difficult to do for those lost a sea. For them there is no plot of land, no headstone, just an ocean. I did witness a burial at sea during my time, a retired Chief Petty Officer having his last wish fulfilled. I can tell you there is something different about seeing that coffin slip out from under the flag and going into the sea.

  My father served in WW2 on heavy bombers. He was a flight engineer and upper turret gunner on B-24's. This was one of the most hazardous jobs in the military at that time. We suffered the loss of 8000 heavy bombers during the war. 8000 planes shot down! An aircrewman was required to complete 25 missions in these bombers before being relieved of that duty and sent back home. 27,000 of those men didn't make it. The reality was only 25% would complete those requirements with 75% losing their lives. How many of those were never returned home for burial isn't really known. Those that parachuted and survived had their stories told. How many were lost forever and no one knowing where they lie? Were they even afforded a decent burial? For many, we just don't know. 

  Memorial day isn't a day to celebrate. That's the way I think of it. It's a day to remember and reflect. A day to face our own mortality. I imagine back in the early days, when it was decoration day, and we assembled in the cemeteries and graveyards across the nation, it was a far more somber occasion. We were surrounded by the reality of death. Speeches were made, stories shared, and the names were spoken. A day to come to grips with sorrow, loss and sadness. It wasn't a day to mask those feelings, those sentiments, but rather to embrace them as we would like to embrace our loved ones lost. A healing.