My Perspective - Honoring their service, sacrifice

By Jim Palmer

With Memorial Day coming up at the end of the month, cemeteries across this country will “come alive.” It is a time when we as a country shine an extra spotlight on the men and women of the military who sacrificed a portion of their life, or gave their entire life, to our country. Flags will be placed, flowers will be displayed, and grass and dirt will be brushed off grave stones. Back in 1868, our country set aside this day to remember the fallen and salute them for their sacrifices. We continue this tradition today.

When most people drive by a cemetery, they think about death and loss. And clearly that is a part of it. Most people go to a cemetery following the death of a family member or a dear friend. It is a time to pay one’s respect and say goodbye.  For many, that is the only time they go to a cemetery. But cemeteries also serve another important purpose -- offering a dedicated space for grief, healing, and a place to remember those who have gone before us. Memorial Day is a great time to visit a cemetery to salute those who served and died... even if you never even met them. 

The old adage goes, “Everyone has a story.” And that’s true. In a way, cemeteries serve as a library of stories. Each gravestone offers a little information about the deceased... a name, some dates, and maybe a line or two about their life. Almost like a “headline” for their story. Of course, for the fallen, the details of their military stories do not appear on the gravestones -- life events like a tearful goodbye from their parents and siblings, their first day at boot camp, tough departures, joyous homecomings, bonds with battle buddies, boredom, terror, close calls, losing buddies, transitioning back to civilian life, searching for purpose, checking in on old squad mates, involvement in service groups, losing more buddies, answering service questions from grandchildren, and “Taps” playing as they are laid to rest. When you look at the dates on the stones, you can see that some of their stories ended abruptly (a life cut short) and others extend to a ripe old age. But they all have something in common... courage and sacrifice.

When I was young our family visited relatives in Duluth. During some of those visits in the summer we would stop at the family cemetery. We would clean up the family grave stones that  had dirt or grass on them and talk about the people buried there. Most of the people buried there were relatives who I never met, but the conversations from the older family members would give me a good idea of who they were. As I got older, I was able to contribute more during story time since I knew more of the people buried there.        

A few men from my family also served in the military. We would always make note of that during the visits. I would learn little snippets about their days in the service and other parts of their lives. Many of those details have been lost over the years. This is because my memory isn’t as sharp as it once was and little has been written down about their lives (that I know of). 

Gravestones weather over time, and as family and friends pass away, the stories of these heroes can be lost. I encourage all those who have served to preserve the stories of their life however they feel comfortable. Maybe that means writing things down in a journal, or maybe that means telling family members or a trusted friend about your days in the miliary so they can record it.  And if there is a fallen soldier in your family whose story has never been properly documented, be sure to preserve their stories any way you can so their sacrifice can be known and remembered by future generations. Their stories matter. Their sacrifice matters.

Senior Perspective is proud to tell the stories of a few fallen soldiers in “Heroes Remembered,” a special section that is inserted in all editions of our newspaper this month. 

After you are done reading it, I encourage you to pass it on to someone in a younger generation. It is important that we help these generations understand the courage and sacrifice of these men and women, and how their courageous efforts have shaped our country and our lives.

If you are a veteran or know a veteran who has an interesting story to tell about their days in the military, please reach out to us this summer. That is when we start lining up stories for our next special section, “Heroes Honored,” which honors living veterans. That special section will be inserted in our November edition, just in time for Veterans Day.