09/02/2026
GRATITUDE
Memorial Day
This a is an inscription on the wall in the American Museum, located on the grounds of the American Cemetery, in Normandy, France. Translated into English, it reads, "We will not forget; we will never forget, the infinite debt of gratitude we owe to those who gave everything for our liberation." -Rene Coty President, the French Republic
And thus is the question I ask of myself and all those who read my words this Memorial Day, have we forgotten?
Have we forgotten the 8,000 or so men who died fighting to free this country from England, and who thus secured for us the chance to try a new and untested form of representative government?
Have we forgotten the 3,000 men who died to keep the United States free from British rule in the War of 1812?
Have we forgotten the 215,000 men who died in a conflict over state's rights, federal authority, the consequences of political back-room deals, and which saw the end of slavery?
Have we forgotten the 53,000 men who gave their lives to help stop a conflagration that had engulfed the world, and in which no end was in sight?
Have we forgotten the nearly 300,000 men who fought and died stopping the march of the Japanese and the N**i tyrannies?
Have we forgotten the 81,000 men who fought the march of Communism as China and the Soviet Union launched and fed proxy wars in Korea and Vietnam?
Have we forgotten the 11,000 men who have died taking the fight to the mountains of Afghanistan or the streets of Iraq rather than allow those who wish to see the destabilization of the West to take their fight to the shores of the US?
Have we forgotten that Liberty comes at the cost of constant vigilance? Have we forgotten that while these men (and by men I mean both men and women) stand watch on our behalf, it is our responsibility to stand watch on theirs? Have we forgotten that in a representative government, it is paramount that those who are being represented know and understand the issues on which their representatives are making decisions. Have we forgotten that those representative work for We the People, and that We the People must keep them in constant mind of that fact?
Have We the People fallen asleep, lulled into a sense of complacency by the toys we find scattered at our feet, the food on our tables, and the safety of our locked doors? Are we to be as the Eloi, not only unaware of the costs of our condition, but incapable of grasping them?
Men both guilty and innocent have bled and died so that We might enjoy the fruits of Liberty. If these sacrifices are not to be wasted like so much perfume poured down the sink, then We the People must do our part! We must be the guardians of Liberty. We must ensure that government is removed from the hands of politicians, and put back into the rightful hands of people who represent us. We must become involved, or Memorial Day is just a bunch of meaningless flag waving.
Those who gave their lives did not do so that we might wave a flag in their honor. They did so that we might live in Liberty. Therefore, we must live in Liberty, or else dishonor them.turn in into
Have we forgotten the nearly 300,000 men who foughtq and died stopping the march of the Japanese and the N**i tyrannies?
Have we forgotten the 81,000 men who fought the march of Communism as China and the Soviet Union launched and fed proxy wars in Korea and Vietnam?
Have we forgotten the 11,000 men who have died taking the fight to the mountains of Afghanistan or the streets of MM...
This is an inscription on the wall in the American Museum, located on the grounds of the American Cemetery, in Normandy, France. Translated into English, it reads, "We will not forget; we will never forget, the infinite debt of gratitude we owe to those who gave everything for our liberation." -Rene Coty President, the French Republic
And thus is the question I ask of myself and all those who read my words this Memorial Day, have we forgotten?
Have we forgotten the 8,000 or so men who died fighting to free this country from England, and who thus secured for us the chance to try a new and untested form of representative government?
Have we forgotten the 3,000 men who died to keep the United States free from British rule in the War of 1812?
Have we forgotten the 215,000 men who died in a conflict over state's rights, federal authority, the consequences of political back-room deals, and which saw the end of slavery?
Have we forgotten the 53,000 men who gave their lives to help stop a conflagration that had engulfed the world, and in which no end was in sight?
Have we forgotten the nearly 300,000 men who fought and died stopping the march of the Japanese and the N**i tyrannies?
Have we forgotten the 81,000 men who fought the march of Communism as China and the Soviet Union launched and fed proxy wars in Korea and Vietnam?
Have we forgotten the 11,000 men who have died taking the fight to the mountains of Afghanistan or the streets of Iraq rather than allow those who wish to see the destabilization of the West to take their fight to the shores of the US?
Have we forgotten that Liberty comes at the cost of constant vigilance? Have we forgotten that while these men (and by men I mean both men and women) stand watch on our behalf, it is our responsibility to stand watch on theirs? Have we forgotten that in a representative government, it is paramount that those who are being represented know and understand the issues on which their representatives are making decisions. Have we forgotten that those representative work for We the People, and that We the People must keep them in constant mind of that fact?
Have We the People fallen asleep, lulled into a sense of complacency by the toys we find scattered at our feet, the food on our tables, and the safety of our locked doors? Are we to be as the Eloi, not only unaware of the costs of our condition, but incapable of grasping them?
Men both guilty and innocent have bled and died so that We might enjoy the fruits of Liberty. If these sacrifices are not to be wasted like so much perfume poured down the sink, then We the People must do our part! We must be the guardians of Liberty. We must ensure that government is removed from the hands of politicians, and put back into the rightful hands of people who represent us. We must become involved, or Memorial Day is just a bunch of meaningless flag waving.
Those who gave their lives did not do so that we might wave a flag in their honor. They did so that we might live in Liberty. Therefore, we must live in Liberty, or else dishonor them.
