The Ease of Forgetting

I've got a suggestion for all those people who want to "Never Forget." Who plaster American flags all over everything like somehow, oh, I don't know, it would get them into Heaven (John Prine, that one's for you). Who "Support Our Troops," with little yellow ribbons. In short, the fair-weather home front. Yes, I've got a suggestion for you.

On Memorial Day, instead of getting out the barbeque and pounding a few (not that I'm suggesting that you all drink, but it's an option that many people seem to regard highly on that particular day), take the family to a military cemetery. Arlington is probably pretty crowded around that time, but I'm sure you can find a nice out-of-the-way cemetery; there certainly seem to be a lot of military dead people for some reason. If you wanted to go hardcore, you could go overseas to a military cemetery, say in France or Holland, but any military cemetery will do.

It sounds like a fun time will be had by all, I'm sure, quietly reflecting on the fact that there certainly are a lot of dead military people. How supportive are you of that?

Or how about Veterans Day? This November, all you flag-wavers hunt down a veteran and say hello. Go to the VA Hospital in your area, bring the kids, and have a blast. The catch-phrase for Veterans Day used to be, "Thank a Vet." So find one, preferably one you don't know, and thank them.

Hell, you shouldn't even wait for a specific day; support those troops. Get out there and support the heck out of them. And I don't mean buy that second American flag decal for the moped. I mean support them.

I'm being condescending here, and I know it, and I guess I'm sorry. But it's easy to say you support something. I think people should understand what support really means. It doesn't mean blind cheering. It means support.

The irony of it, which come November I may revisit (but don't hold your breath because I have a bad memory) is that Veterans Day used to be called Armistice Day because it was celebrating the Armistice that ended World War I. We've done a pretty good job of forgetting that, and that's unfortunate because we really should remember it. We don't have holidays to celebrate wars. I defy you to name one. We have holidays to celebrate the ends of wars, and we set aside days to honor the dead, but to glorify war? I won't be getting out my barbeque for that.