Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Respect for Memorial Day wanes

Some families of fallen warriors say meaning is lost on many

- MICHAEL RUBINKAM

ANNVILLE, Pa. — While millions of Americans celebrate the long Memorial Day weekend as the unofficial start of summer, some veterans and loved ones of fallen military members wish the holiday that honors more than 1 million people who died serving their country would command more respect. Or at least awareness. “It’s a fun holiday for people: ‘Let’s party.’ It’s an extra day off from work,” said Carol Resh, 61, whose son, Army Capt. Mark Resh, was killed in Iraq a decade ago. “It’s not that they’re doing it out of malice. It just hasn’t affected them.”

Veterans groups say a growing military-civilian disconnect contribute­s to a feeling that Memorial Day has been overshadow­ed. More than 12 percent of the U.S. population served in the armed forces during World War II. That’s down to less than half of 1 percent today, guaranteei­ng more Americans aren’t personally acquainted with a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine.

“There are a lot of things working against this particular holiday,” said Brian Duffy, commander in chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

“It hurts,” Duffy said. For combat veterans and Gold Star families especially, “it hurts that, as a society, we don’t truly understand and appreciate what the true meaning of Memorial Day is.”

The group Iraq and Afghanista­n Veterans of America is trying to raise awareness with its #GoSilent campaign, which encourages Americans to pause for a moment of silence at 3 p.m. today to remember the nation’s war dead.

Of course, plenty of Americans already observe the holiday. At Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, about 100 miles northwest of Philadelph­ia, fresh flowers mark hundreds of graves, and fields of newly erected American flags flap in the breeze. Hundreds of motorcycli­sts thundered in for a Saturday service. By the end of the weekend, thousands of people will have gone to the cemetery to pay their respects.

“This is our Super Bowl,” said Randy Plummer, the cemetery’s administra­tive officer.

Jim Segletes, 65, a Vietnam-era Marine visiting the grave of his father-in-law, a World War II veteran who died in 2000, said he thinks Americans became more patriotic and aware of military sacrifice after 9/11.

“Everyone is more in tune with veterans, more so than when I was in the service,” he said.

Douglas and Rene Kicklighte­r, Iraq veterans at the cemetery with their 10- and 12-year-old sons, said they believe most people understand what the holiday’s about. But they cringe when they hear someone say “Happy Memorial Day.”

“It’s not happy,” said Rene Kicklighte­r, 37, who retired from the Army National Guard. “It’s somber. I try to flip the lens on the conversati­on a bit and gently remind them what it’s really about.”

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, was conceived after the Civil War as a way to honor the Union’s war dead, with Southern states setting aside separate days to honor fallen Confederat­e soldiers. By the early 20th century, the holiday had evolved to honor all military members who died in service.

Some veterans say Memorial Day began to be watered down more than four decades ago when Congress changed the date from its traditiona­l May 30 to the last Monday in May to give people a three-day weekend. Arguing that transforme­d a solemn day of remembranc­e into one associated with leisure and recreation, veterans groups have long advocated a return to May 30. For years, the late Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, asked Congress to change it back, to no avail.

That leaves it to people like Resh, the Gold Star mother, to spread the message.

Invited to speak to high school students in Allentown, Pa., she said she told them, “What is the true meaning of Memorial Day? Ask any Gold Star family and they’ll tell you what it means. It’s not about the picnics. It’s about the men and women who have given their lives for this country.

“Every day is Memorial Day for us.”

 ?? AP/MICHAEL RUBINKAM ?? Motorcycli­sts on Saturday ride into Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, Pa., for a Memorial Day weekend service.
AP/MICHAEL RUBINKAM Motorcycli­sts on Saturday ride into Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, Pa., for a Memorial Day weekend service.

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