Dan Rather: Much to Memorialize...

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noah helman
@NoahHelman
100 years from now, I think this series of essays may be compiled in history books as the defining Chronicles of the time.

Much to Memorialize..., by @DanRather

Much to Memorialize...
Memorial Day and my beloved nation is at a crossroads —between pain and hope, suffering and peace, fragility and optimism. In the “before times,” this long weekend was always a moment of transition,...
steady.substack.com
8:47 AM · May 30, 2021

https://steady.substack.com/p/much-to-memorialize

Memorial Day and my beloved nation is at a crossroads —between pain and hope, suffering and peace, fragility and optimism. In the “before times,” this long weekend was always a moment of transition, a milestone marking the unofficial start of summer. School would be wrapping up and barbecues, parades, and trips to the beach would be on the agenda. This is still true now, but this year, like the one before it, is nevertheless cast in a very different hue. Last year we were approaching 100,000 dead from the pandemic. Over the ensuing 12 months another nearly 500,000 have died. A half a million souls lost. A wave of sorrow to memorialize.

We fervently pray that most of the loss is behind us now. The vaccines and plummeting case rates do fill us with hope. But we still are mourning collectively for all that was lost. Many of us feel that pain personally, as we mark friends and loved ones among those who were felled by this horrific disease. And because this is a global pandemic, we must bear witness to the tragic truth that much of the world is far worse off than we are.

Memorial Day is, by definition, a time to measure and ponder loss. It is the yearly reminder that men and women not only fought for our nation but have died in that service, often in distant lands and in the early years of adulthood. Memorial Day is the holiday where we recognize that lives can be cut short, future hopes and dreams extinguished, with ripples of suffering reaching deep into neighborhoods and families.

I have had the privilege and honor of reporting on our armed services in times of conflict. I have seen the terrible price of war. It is savage and unmitigated hell. I have seen the breath of life leave a young soldier’s lips. I have been on patrols where a dear friend disappears in a flash. The sights, smells, and sounds of war never leave those who have witnessed them. It is uncomfortable to speak or write about it, but it is our duty to do so. We must keep the full sacrifices in mind. For I have also seen the high cost of hubris and ineptitude from our political leaders paid for in blood by those who were called or pressed into armed service for their nation. I honor on this solemn day all of those who served and perished. And I mourn with families who have suffered their losses.

*snip*