Remembrance

By Tyler Tankersley

My Grandpa Simmons had a large flagpole in his front yard. It was planted in a bed of red and gray gravel. Every morning (as he was able) he would walk out of his front door with a properly folded flag. Partnering with whatever grandkid was available, Grandpa would unfold the flag, hook it to the pole, and hoist to fly high on his Bollinger County property.

This was always a sacred moment. It was made especially holy as I got older and realized that my grandpa had been one of the first men deployed to Japan to help in the clean-up effort after the dropping of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He told me once that he thought of his time in the Army every single time he raised that flag.

Grandpa served at the end of World War II and did not see any combat. However, there were many boys in his small Arkansas hometown who did see combat, and some who did not return home. He would grow very quiet describing the solemn occasion when an Army jeep would pull into a neighbor's driveway accompanied by a local pastor.

Memorial Day is an annual opportunity to remember those who gave what Abraham Lincoln called "the last full measure of devotion."

It is sometimes difficult to know how we can truly honor and remember the women and men who have died in armed conflict. Many of us search for something tangible to do, so we find ourselves placing flowers on loved ones' graves and meditatively thanking them for their service. Such rituals are a beautiful way of expressing gratitude and thankfulness.

However, I recently did some reading on proper flag etiquette for Memorial Day, and I think it may have something to teach us about how we can truly honor the fallen.

On Memorial Day morning, the flag is to be taken to the flag pole like normal, quickly raised to full-mast, but then slowly lowered to half-mast. It is to remain in its position at half-mast until noon, at which time it is raised to full mast. The flag is raised to half-mast in the morning to honor and signify the sacrifices of those who have fallen to preserve our freedom, yet it is raised to full mast at noon to symbolize the rest of us, the living, who are called to not allow their sacrifice to have been given in vain.

Honoring our veterans and our fallen soldiers is something that should unite us regardless of political party, religious affiliation, or age. We should all seek to cherish and appreciate the freedoms we enjoy that we bought at the price of those who gave their lives for our country. And one of the primary ways we can bring honor to fallen soldiers is by holding our political leaders accountable in how they choose to utilize our armed forces. As Mark Twain said, "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."

On this Memorial Day, may you honor your hard-won freedom by remembering the lives of the women and men who have given the last full measure of devotion.