There Is Nothing “Happy” About Memorial Day…

I have been an Army wife for 15 years this year. Married my high school sweetheart, had a couple kids, moved around a lot. He’s been deployed quite a few times to some dangerous places. It has become quite commonplace for people to say “thank you” to my husband when we are out and he is in uniform. Sometimes people will just hear it in passing that he has served in the Army and they will tell me to express their gratitude to him. Any day of the year I will do that. Any day of the year except Memorial Day.

We’ve been one of the lucky ones. One of the families that never got that knock on the door to let us know we would never see our solider again. I could complain about all the holidays and birthdays that were missed, but I don’t. I don’t do it because my husband made it back safely every time and there are many more birthdays and holidays ahead of us.

What I would truly like to express in this post is this:

Understand that most soldiers are in a state of grief this weekend. You may see them drinking a beer, but it is not to celebrate-it is in remembrance. Their spouses may tip toe quietly around them this weekend, knowing that their solider’s mind must have a million things going through it.

There is nothing “happy” about Memorial Day for my family, and those like mine.

We are watching our news feeds become flooded with memories of those that we knew whose lives were cut too short. It is a reminder to us that they can no longer be here with us. It is difficult for those soldiers families, and it is difficult for us. While I can understand the desire to say “Thank You” to a soldier on this day, instead, please think about that soldier and who they are missing or who they are grieving for this weekend. Sometimes saying nothing says a whole lot. Hold their hand, give them a hug, and most importantly, REMEMBER those brave men & women who gave it all so we could have it all.

Any day of the year, you can thank a soldier. But on Memorial Day, they don’t want to be thanked. They want their friends, their brothers & sisters in arms to be remembered because WE are remembering them. Please respect that.

On Saturday, our son turns 13. The rest of the weekend, we will be remembering quietly, the brave friends that we had. The ones that sacrificed their lives so that my husband could have his.

Remembering you Forrest, Harry & Joe.

You will never be forgotten.