by Marty Coleman | May 30, 2011 | Memorial Day |
Have you ever listened to a ‘Medal of Honor’ ceremony? Before the giving of the medal they read the description of what took place in battle that led to its earning. There is one common theme in all of the descriptions. It is always about protecting someone. It might be a wounded comrade. It might be a village under fire. It might be a whole company ambushed. But the killing of the enemy is never why the medal is given. The medal is always given for the protecting. That is what heroism is about.
Why are there no names on these headstones? Because you get to fill them in. What great names are in your family’s memory?
Why do all the headstones look the same? Because the inheritance of great examples are remarkably similar on the outside. It’s about love, sacrifice, perseverance, courage, mercy, compassion, self-denial. It’s only on the inside of each family, each person, that those heroic characteristics bloom in individual glory. The world sees the words and the story. The family sees the individual.
Who do you remember today?
Quote by Benjamin Disraeli
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by Marty Coleman | May 24, 2009 | Anonymous, Memorial Day |
I am currently reading a Turkish book (English translation) ‘The Long
White Cloud’ sent to me by a flickr and blog friend, Senay, from Istanbul.
It is the story of the Battle of Gallipoli, where 130,000 young men died.
It has many letters from the two main soldiers on either side of the
conflict. They are filled with small remembrances of home, anecdotes of
the front, admiration for their fellow soldiers and respect for their
enemy. there is more anger at the incompetence of their own leaders than
hatred for the enemy.
How similar are the millions of letters sent home over the centuries from
soldiers. They don’t talk about wanting to kill. They talk about appreciation
for the love of their family, the love of their community. They want life to
be normal again. The romance is a myth, the glory disappears as their friends
die and they are left with a terrible mission. They must kill people. A lot of people.
Remembering who died is important. Remembering what it is we made them do
in our name is important. We are making them kill people. Even if it is a valid war,
we always must remember we are asking our children to kill people, and often
not the right people.
If you have a book that you think would help me understand
your country, I would love to hear about it. I would need an
English translation of course, but if you email me the title and
author I will try to find it.
marty@martycoleman.com
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by Marty Coleman | May 23, 2009 | Anonymous, Memorial Day |
Call it an paradox, an oxymoron, or just a complete absurdity. Whatever
you call it warfare is not civilized.
It’s Memorial Day weekend here in the USA and I have deep admiration
and humility when I consider the living, heart beating souls who found
they had to fight for their lives and ended up perishing in that fight. I
have equally great feelings for those who fought and returned damaged
and changed. I am sorry that had to happen to you. I hope you find
the positive out of such a terrible negative. I hope your family can as well.
That is the better paradox to consider. Is it possible to find the good in
the brain damage? Is it possible to find value in the lost leg? Is it possible
your calling in life was found when your spine was severed? I don’t know.
But I do know that paradox happens everyday in life. The person stuck sick
in bed for months watching movies realizes that is her greatest desire and goes to
Hollywood to fulfill it. The man who lost his hearing only to find he now leads
a great university because of how hard he worked to overcome that deafness.
A memorial is something of substance that reminds us of something great.
Humans are made of the best substance.
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