MEMORIAL DAY
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone. With the war on terrorism underway, the day took on special meaning to many. The dedication of the World War II Memorial also served to give special meaning to the day.

Since I had Monday off, I decided to go out on Sunday night and drink a few beers (three or less, according to base regulation) with some of my fellow troops. The conversation turned to the subject of Memorial Day and to the WW II Memorial. The question arose as to why it took so long (nearly 60 years) to erect a monument to the crowning achievement of the greatest generation. America's WW II veterans played the decisive role in defeating the spread of tyranny. Why did it take so long? I thought about this for a bit and the answer I came up with is this:

The veterans of World War II are a humble lot. Considering what they accomplished and the obstacles that they overcame to accomplish it, they have every right to bask in the glory that comes with such an achievement. In spite of this, they aren't prone to bragging. I've known a number of WW II vets. While I never met one who wouldn't answer any questions put to him by an inquisitive (sometimes annoyingly so, I'm sure) young man, none of the vets I knew would bring up the subject on his own. To these guys, the war is something that they just had to do, a job that needed to be done. Forty years ago, it probably wouldn't have occurred to any WW II vets that they needed a memorial.

As time has moved on, we've begun to lose the members of this generation to whom we owe so much. Too many of our young people aren't familiar with what these veterans did and don't understand the debt we owe them. It is high time that we have a monument to these great Americans. In the end though, the true monument to our World War II veterans isn't the structure in Washington that was dedicated last weekend. The United States is the true monument to these great Americans; our strength, our prosperity, and our freedom. Without their courage and sacrifices, we wouldn't be the country we are today.