We are today commemorating two solemn anniversaries: 150 years of Arlington National Cemetery, and 70 years on June 6 of the D Day Invasion at Normandy during World War II! Memorial Day is the proper day to mark these two anniversaries!
Arlington National Cemetery began as a place to honor Civil War veterans, and now honors veterans of all of America’s wars, those killed in battle and those who simply served.
The number of World War II veterans is declining rapidly, with the youngest participants now age 88 and over, with “The Greatest Generation” still honored for their sacrifices every year.
The crisis over the Department of Veterans Affairs is a sad event, since we face a mountain of commitment to all of our veterans over the next century, who have done their part to protect us, and no matter what the cost, our commitment MUST be met, when we send troops to war!
It should sober us to be more careful about military commitments overseas, and only engaged in wars that we have no choice but to participate in, for national security, but NOT for corporate greed or the promotion of oil interests!
And this is also a sobering time, as we soon will reach the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I in Europe this summer! The effects of that war, on the world and on America, still reverberate!