Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a holiday intended to reflect upon the fallen soldiers, and honor them. However, Memorial Day as I saw it this past year was just a day that people only cared about the fact that they had off. Everyone I talked to was either going to a party, going to the shore, or just sleeping in with their day off. Going to a party doesn't sound too bad when it is a Memorial Day party meant to honor the holiday. Yet, how many of those parties take a moment away from their food and beer to honor the fallen heroes? I find myslef guilty of this pleasure as well. Except for the fact that I spent my Memorial day working to make extra money, I did attend a party on Sunday. At the party all I thought about was the food and friends around me, not the reason for the party. The only true act of patriotism that I witnessed this holiday came from my girlfriend's father, and I praise him for it. He is a member of the Air Force Reserves and he spent his day off down at his base in Maguire, NJ. Every year he goes down with a couple of his fellow troops and just hang around the base, talking and maybe working on some things. This year was extra special for them because their troop had just returned from Iraq, so that were extra happy to be home, and were thankful that they were all home. More patriotism should come from all US citizens on this holiday, not just the troops.

A Day For Memory

My memorial started off with me waking up in Kelly Hall. Not my ideal home but for once it was nice because there was no drilling at 7a.m. I got up took a shower and started to work on my design project. Design is like a war itself. You work and work for hours and somethings work and other don't you win and loose battles and don't get complete satisfaction until you get your final grade and that lets you know if you won the war. So in my own way I payed triubte to the soldiers who fought  and died for our country because I am fighting my own war. I hope I win.  

Memorial Day Weekend

I used to think that Memorial Day weekend was just an excuse to have a day off from school and lengthen the weekends getting closer to the end of the school year but then my high school history teacher taught the class that it was much more.  It is supposed to celebrate those who have fallen fighting to preserve the peace and sanctity of our beloved nation.  Some still view it as a reason to go down to the beach and drink but for the veterans of wars past and present Memorial Day means much more to them and having a day to honor them brings them a certain pride.  I am pretty sure that most people couldn't identify the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day besides that you get off for one and the other you don't.

It's not that we neglect what our soldiers have done and are doing for our freedoms; it's that people wish they wouldn't have to protect our freedoms with force.  

Memorial Day

Celebration-wise, not much happened for me, besides seeing the local parade. I've been in the parade every year of my high school as part of my marching band. I never remember the director saying anything in particular about why we celebrate Memorial day; we would just learn and play the music. After the parade, we had a little barbeque, and then I had to get the train back to Drexel. I'm glad we acknowledge Memorial day, but I feel like my family and friends care more for the day off and the fun times together than memorializing our troops. Like the Iraq War and its effects, the sacrifices of our troops have lost some of their significance since we don't think much about it.

May 26th

As i come from a country in south east Asia, i had not experienced a memorial day until this year. This was just a regular day for me as i was not aware of the importance of this date. However, it's a long weekend, and therefore i decided go out of the city to relax and enjoy. As i went to my friend's b'day party on Friday, i engaged in discussion with someone who was much older than me, literally an uncle to me. He taught the importance of this day and how some Americans do not show their gratitude to the forces in the US at least on a special day like the 26th of May. Even though i got to know about it, i couldn't do much since my friends had already planned activities for the weekend.
I spent the holiday in a suburb area having a BBQ with some of my close friends. The whole day was spent on fun activities and a little bit of shopping for clothes as there were sales in most of the shops. However, as i understand the importance of this day, i hope to do something productive to the country from next year. This year was just a start.

The Holiday

I did very little over the holiday weekend. My friend reminded me of why we even celebrate the holiday in simple AIM message. I had a good time and at one of the parties I attended the theme was for the lost soldiers. It was a weekend that reminded me of the people that have given their lives so that I could enjoy myself. It was a simple time of rejoicing with friends and having some fun.

May 26th

The week before Memorial Day weekend was like a major battle for me. I had two exams and two projects that needed completing and there were also so many classes to attend. So my Memorial Day consisted of sleeping and relaxing all day long. Therefore where I was, there were nothing special that happening to celebrate the Memorial Day. Yet the fact that I rested after a long and hard week reminded of the soldiers that once gave up their lives and the ones that are currently fighting in Iraq. During the time of war I think soldiers never really get the chance to rest and relax, especially after a major battle until the war is over. So I considered myself lucky, because I didn’t have any worries of being killed in the next battle or getting hit by artillery shells, something soldiers during war faced preventing them from getting well deserved rest. As a result I should be grateful and hope that I would never have to experience those feelings. It is amazing what soldiers have done in the past and is currently doing in Iraq. Finally at least for one day, we all can appreciate and thank those brave soldiers for what they have done.

memorial day weekend

Over the weekend was my cousin's birthday so we celebrated by all going out to dinner. The night before all us family went out we had a surprise party for Dhruv(my cousin) at our friend's house. We invited about 30 people and told them specifically that it was a surprise and to get there by six. By eight about 15 people had come. Luckily he was out and distracted til 8:30 by which time mostly everyone had gotten there. One of Dhruv's friends Charlie was there. He came back from Iraq 3 months ago. He was in the Marines. I was talking to him about it and he talked but wouldn' give any details. We were all drinking and feeling pretty good and still he wouldn't talk about it. He said it was intense and it changed his life. It seems like Memorial Day has lost it's value. It meant something in the 20th century when half a century was dedicated to wars and millions died. Now it's not like that so the masses don't feel the impact of this day they once would have. My cousin's dad was in the Indian Army when he lived in India. This day doesn't mean much to him other than having a day off. It seems like that's what this day has become. I nice day to go shopping. I don't mind it at all, but it's interesting to see the transition from a day of remembering to a day of shopping.

Memorial Day

This is the first time that I have been a part of memorial day because this is my first time in America. I know that the memorial day celebrates the bravery of those soldiers who gave up their lives to protect the freedom of this country. Many events are held all over the country to commemorate soldiers and their bravery. I got up pretty late in the morning and then watched a movie which had a very peculiar storyline.It was about three girls in Iraq who were passionate about soccer and wanted to see a game in the stadium. They could not do so as girls are not allowed in stadiums in Iraq. So they decided to dress up and boys and go see the game. They are successful in entering the stadium but they eventually get caught. The movie was very enthralling and it made me realize how oppressed women are in Iraq. I am happy I get to play soccer and I celebrated this by playing soccer in the evening.This was pretty much all I did on memorial day.

Memorial Day

This Memorial Day was the first one I didn't spend at home with my family; not that it makes any difference, but I just thought that was an interesting fact. I normally don't do anything special in honor of Memorial Day, and this year was no different. I actually spent most of the day in transit from New Jersey. When I finally got back, I went out to eat with some friends at Qudoba, and then we took a walk through the park at Penn. It was probably the most relaxed I've been in quite some time, probably because it's the only holiday I've had since spring break. Although I did nothing directly to honor the many US soldiers who have died fighting for us, my actions were directly affected by them. They fought to allow people like myself and my friends to have the freedom to go out and walk in the park, and enjoy eating with friends. When I think about how I did nothing to honor these brave soldiers, I feel a bit ashamed. Most people don't do anything either, but still that is no excuse for apathy.

celebrating

For Memorial Day itself I could not state a single event in which one may directly connect with the spirit of the holiday. But looking at the long weekend as a whole more closely at what I did and comparing it to what the holiday really means. I was able to make some connections. Over the long weekend in summary I did mainly a few things. Work, see my family and friends along with attending a neighbors barbeque for his son’s first birthday. Although you may not be able to see a direct connection to the holiday, what I realized is that we were remembering the holiday by being with the people you enjoy the most and doing what you love most. Memorial day weekend provides people the chance to sit back and really enjoy their lives. Because as we see from the holiday itself and the reason behind it. You do not know how much longer we have or what could happen to any of us in the next hour or day.

Escapism in its Purest of Forms

This past Memorial Day was unlike any other I have ever spent. Usually, my Memorial Days revolve around heading to the Jersey Shore with my parents or simply enjoying a quaint barbecue with a few close family members. This Memorial Day, however, my father decided to take me out to a small, secluded airport located in the middle of Bucks County called Van Sant Airport. Since my dad is so awesome, he paid for me to fly a glider plane.

This all came as a surprise to me. I knew we were heading to such an airport, but I simply thought we were going to enjoy the day relaxing and watching the above planes. Before I knew it, I was strapped in a claustrophobic cockpit with foreign gauges and a joystick situated in between my legs. A trained pilot was sitting right behind me. 

After a few minutes of waiting for runway traffic to clear, we were up in the air about two miles from the ground as I detached the tension line connecting the glider I was in to the plane in front of us (which was responsible for elevating us to this extreme height). While I was flying the glider and getting used to its mechanics, I drifted into a sort of daydream that was unlike anything I have experienced before. I experienced a sense of serenity and peace, haven been above all the troubles that plagued society below. In fact, this Memorial Day seemed to have a paradoxical theme attached to it. While others were preoccupied with remembering veterans (possibly veterans in their own family), I was transported to a different place entirely, where remembering those who served our country did not even happen to cross my mind. Essentially, while others were paying their respects to servers of our nation, I was detached from society completely.

After the hour plane ride, I went home and did homework, not thinking once about the importance of the holiday. I was relaxed and focused on enjoying time with my family. In retrospect, I do not regret my day at all. Seemingly being apathetic towards the holiday, this memorial day was a cathartic experience, one that I will remember for years to come. After all, there will always be more memorial days.

No Vicarious Pain

Most people don't really connect with the whole "spirit of the holiday" that is Memorial Day. For a lot, it really is just a day off. The people that did care were the ones that were directly affected by the loss of a friend or family member. They were the ones most passionate about "celebrating" this holliday. Humans need to be close to something in order to feel it. Just telling everyone in the country that they should honor and respect the people that have "made the ultimate sacrifice" doesn't really mean much. Well obviously they're going to respect them; it's not like they're going to go out and piss on the graves of veterans. It's just that how do you respect someone that hasn't directly entered your life. And, unlike other holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, Memorial Day doesn't have a real event you're supposed to do. And barbeques don't count, you do them because it's finally nice out, not because the government told you to. The turkey and the tree are symbolic of their respective holidays, because they represent something, and when you do them you can say that you are truly "celebrating the holiday" in the way you are supposed to be. And if you think that the turkey and tree are shitty representations of their holiday, and act as nothing but a checkmark to your list of holidays to do properly, then I guess the state-sanctioned Memorial Day activity could be a chance to do something meaningful with real representation. Thing is,what is a real and meaningful representation of sacrifice and death?

Memorial Days

Memorial Day in my family is kind of an odd situation. First off, one of the main reasons at least my dad's side of the family is in the United States is because several of his brothers enlisted and served in the United States Navy. Second of all, my family is very dysfunctional they always are fighting with each other either up front or quietly. My little nuclear family is considered the middle divider with my dad being the mediator. There is no strict sense of respect to the elder siblings within my dad's family, nor is there direct respect for the sons who surrendered 20+ years of service in the military in order to bring the family to these United States of America. So looking at my Memorial Day (we had a picnic in a park), I found a new reality in that my uncles mad a sacrifice in order for me to live in this country so that I (inadvertently because I wasn't born yet) could have my life, my liberty, and my pursuit of happiness.

Memorial Day Weekend

My weekend was very uneventful. I stayed here at Drexel along with the only other 10 residents in my building. I stayed in the majority of the time and watched a couple of movies. One movie I watched was We Were Soldiers, which happens to be one of my favorite movies. It is about the Vietnam War and the soldiers who fought in it. The movie depicts one battle in particular in which thousands of soldiers died. This movie was very fitting for Memorial Day because you can’t help but think of all the fallen soldiers after watching it. After I was done watching the movie I thought of all the veterans I know and the people in Iraq that I know. I also found myself thinking of my twin brother who is in boot camp for the Marines right now, praying that he never sees a battle like the one depicted in the movie.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a time to remember those brave soldiers who gave their lives to protect the freedom of this country. Most of my memorial day was spent sleeping and watching movies all day. But I did get to see the town parade and the many speeches by famous politicians including President Bush. But the one thing that I'm glad I got to witness was the return of an Army from his sixth month tour of duty. I didn't know the man, I didn't even know his name but since he lived on our block, everyone was outside cheering and showing their thanks to the returning hero. It was truly a scene from Hollywood but I guess thats how it really looks in real life as well. But my memorial day served its purpose I got to sleep all day, and personally thank one of our soldiers.

Burn

So this weekend i spent my Sunday on a couple of "shores" near Atlantic City. First I experienced what it felt like to be buried under sand, then watch as a pyramid of sand and water is built above me. My friends were nice enough to ask the children near by if they'd like to help. This was a good experience as I've never been buried so well. I learned that with enough weight, your chest can't rise when you breath. It hurts.

Sometime between the being buried and 13 year olds asking me for beer, i remember feeling a crisping sensation on my shoulders and back. Yes, i was getting sunburned. The sun seems so much more powerful than it did years ago, when SPF 20 was more than enough.

At the time i didn't think about it, but now that i sit down i think about the warriors in Iraq and the hot sun they must endure. Do they get sun screen? Or do they not even have to worry about the harmful UV rays because of the large amounts of clothing and uniform they're required to wear? In which case they're probably sweating like pigs. Neither option sounds pleasing.

Memorial Day Weekend

Well this weekend wasn't to eventful. I didn't go home and i didn't really do anything. There weren't to many people here to hang out with. I spent most of my time hanging around the dorm watching tv. I ended up watching sports center for a few hours over the weekend and the things that were playing actually happened to be involved with memorial day. There was a story of a young man only 25 years old who had enlisted in the war and was killed in Iraq. He had one wish and that was to teach the kids in Iraq to play soccer. His family and a person who heard about his wish started a foundation called kick for nick where they sent soccer balls across the ocean to Iraq. This story was about a fallen soldier and remembering him. Another story that was played was of the first Army player drafted into the NFL. This was his way to make it out of the war to be able to serve his country in a different way. He would be able to recruit people in america instead of fighting the war in Iraq. These stories were played to remember the people who fought and are fighting for our country. I thought it was nice that they could show stories about the war on a holdiay like this.

Memorial Day Weekend

My Memorial Day weekend was different this year, then previous years. Usually, it is spent with family enjoying the day together-- but this year my family was all off in different directions. I spent the weekend here at Drexel, I was one of the few souls who didn't go down to the shore for the weekend; I did make it to Atlantic City yesterday, to celebrate the unofficial start of summer, not to remember the tens of thousands of people who have fought in the various wars. As I was lying on my beach blanket, I overheard a man who was laying on the lounge chair close to me was yelling to someone on the phone, why he was not doing any work yesterday... he said "it's a holiday here in America." When he said this, it was the only time that the meaning of Memorial Day ever crossed my mind.

My family members were off doing their own things as well, I secretly think it has something to do with the fact that I wasn't home for the weekend, but it's not like they are going to admit that to me. I see Memorial Day weekend as a time to celebrate family, we've never been big into going to parades and such... honestly, before this post I have never really thought much about Memorial Day as being a day to remember those that have fought and sacrificed their lives for our country.

The Veterans of World War II

My family and I commemorated this Memorial Day by honoring the soldiers who had fallen during war. Each year, there is a mass at Saint Joseph's Cemetery in New Jersey that remembers those heroes who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. After the mass, the congregation processed to the graves of soldiers who had served in World War II.

Veterans of World War II came out to honor their comrades and it is quite noticeable that year by year their number grows smaller and smaller. Wreaths were placed on the graves and some veterans said a few words in memory of the service and bravery exhibited by their fellow troops.

It becomes quite depressing especially when men in their eighties become teary eyed in the worn out uniforms they have kept for decades. Witnessing that scene each year reminds me of why we celebrate Memorial Day. Going down the shore or having a barbecue is great fun, but honoring the veterans and those men and women who have died by their side is how we truly display the support and respect they all deserve.

Memorial Day, same thing as usual

My Memorial Day was the same as all the others. Me doing nothing at my house. Sure there is a parade and such, but I never go. I now have basic cable in order to save money. The only thing that I can actually stand to watch is the history or channel and cartoon network and thankfully they are only one channel apart. Watching the history channel I noticed it was all about war. This stuff actually caught my attention, so I sat there watching for hours. I watched about the war in the pacific and the US carriers and battles it went through. My city is trying to make people remember about war. There is a park where all the roads are named after wars, there is a statue about the Civil war in the corner between two main roads. There is actually a school called Veterans Memorial. I actually attended this middle school and read in a newspaper that the Korean War veterans donated nine flags representing every branch of the military and a new American Flag to replace the old one. The paper said there was a ceremony and everything.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Unlike many Americans who may have reflected on Memorial Day by congregating for barbeques, I saw Monday as just another day. Although I am living during a time of war, it is not that I am insensitive to the tradition of America and patriotism, but my allegiance is solely and exclusively to Jehovah God; for it was his son, Christ Jesus that said he was "no part of this world"- therefore, that which soldiers both domestic and foreign fight for has no place in Jehovah's kingdom which is going to, as Daniel 2:44 says, "crush and put an end to all these kingdoms" and "will stand to times indefinite". What other kingdom or government has proclaimed such a promise - a government that will last forever? Is it not something only God can promise? Although we live in a tumultuous world, only the Almighty God - not man - can resolve the problems transpiring around the globe today.
So rather than reflecting on the war amidst us today, I spent my Memorial Day and spend all of my days thinking about the peace that will ensue when Jehovah takes over and leaves his son Jesus in control. Rather than governments promoting nationalism, and one nation (the US) against the other (Iraq), Jehovah's righteous government will comprise of people "of all nations" and unlike what the governments today do - his will not promote any sort of nationalism or divisions. The only memorial that I reflect upon and commemorate is the sacrifice that made eternal life in a paradise earth, under the rule of a righteous, empathetic ruler feasible - the ultimate sacrifice - that offered up by Christ Jesus.

My Memorial Day

Most of my memorial day was spent doing things that are not based on remembering the dead. Saturday night I drove down to my friends shore house with my girlfriend. We stayed down till monday morning and then drove to my house. On monday, memorial day, I spent the day with my family. We played board games, ate a nice meal together, and just sat on my back deck next to the pool. We then remembered my grandfather who died about five years back. The only connection between this rememberence and the war is that my grandfather was a war veteran. Overall, I am ashamed to say it, but I did not really remember the holiday.

Memorial Day

Over Memorial Day weekend, instead of going to the beach and barbecuing with friends and family, I stayed at Drexel with very few individuals. Many people went home and to the shore for the weekend. I chose to stay at Drexel. It was weird because I bonded with people that I did not always get to spend time with. We all sat as a group of dorm-mates and connected like the troops who bond together overseas. We all pulled together and made a family dinner with friends. We bonded like a family, like a team, like a troop. On a deserted campus, we made the best of being at Drexel and ended up having a nice relaxing weekend. It was a Memorial Day to remember.