Memorial Day Parade

Today we honor those who serve our country, and those who have perished serving our country. This is the first year that one of our kids has not marched in the parade with the cub scouts. Both Dan and our kids are paraded out, having put in their time for about 12 parades since our oldest started with the scouts. You miss a lot marching, and the parade really isn't about the scouts, so sometimes they get stuck behind the horses, or a really gassy old vehicle. The glamour is gone. Time to watch instead.

Every time I watch the parades in our community, I am struck with how many groups now throw candy--in our community, going to a parade is like trick or treat. Kids arrive to the parade route with bags! Our scout leader this year decided that they would not throw candy for the Memorial Day parade because it seemed disrespectful to the spirit of the holiday. I see her point. However, the Veterans of Foreign Wars that is sponsoring the troop and going directly ahead of them is throwing gobs of candy. I think if you have fought in a war and you want to throw candy, you have a right to throw candy.

When I was a kid, the Memorial Day parade was somewhat more solemn, and not much candy was to be found. Some organization though, always passed out American Flags, and another would hand out POW/MIA buttons. My favorite was a frowning smiley face button that said "POWs never have a nice day." Back then, it was still possible to see WW1 veterans (really old) and legions of WW2 veterans. My older brother would boo the Vietnam vets. It was the times, and he didn't really understand he just did what the older kids did, but it must have hurt them anyway.

My parents would confiscate the flags as soon as the parade was over, because they always had that pointy gold wood piece at the top, perfect for poking your sibling, or gouging an eye out.

We did not know any fallen soldiers. My dad was too young for WW2 and Korea, and spent the time before Vietnam in the Army, sitting in a pineapple field in Hawaii translating Russian communications. Both of my brothers served in peaceable conditions as well between wars. We were lucky. We have two uncles that served, one of them a gentle soul who nonetheless served as a marine and was at Guadalcanal. He refused to talk about it. The other was career army from Korean to the Vietnam Wars, and was tough enough to train Green Berets.

I hope the Iraq war veterans today are getting a great welcome and recognition in our community today, whether they are throwing candy or not. They are people who believe in our country, who have suffered greatly, and who have been betrayed by a president and vice president who lied us into the war, for what seems to be only their own profit and the profit of their cronies. That doesn't make our service people any less valiant or less worthy of honor. They should be honored for their loyalty and service to country and the Bush Administration reviled for betraying them. Actually Bush and company should be prosecuted. It could happen...sigh...it makes me so angry...

Many people will go through this holiday without a thought for what it means. Many others live every day feeling the loss of a loved one that they lost in serving their country.