"Their silent wounds have speech
More eloquent than men;
Their tones can deeper reach
Than human voice or pen."
- William Woodman
Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 31 in 2010). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. soldiers who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War); it was expanded after World War I. The holiday was formerly known as Decoration Day because on this day the gravestones of every American service man and woman are decorated with an American flag. If you have ever been to Arlington National Cemetery in our nation' s capitol, seeing those thousands and thousands of miniature American flags waving in the breeze is a sight only eclipsed by the sheer number of monuments they adorn.
The enormity of these monuments is what has given me the motivation to pen this tribute on this very important American holiday. If you have ever been to Arlington or Gettysburg National Cemetery, or to the Vietnam war memorial, or the World War II memorial, or noted the casualties from the two Iraq wars, Bosnia, Afghanistan, etc., you can't help but be chilled to your core by the sheer number of men and women who have paid the ultimate price to defend this country and freedom around the world. I look at those perfect little white stones in perfect lines that stretch for as far as the eye can see and wonder what those predominantly 19 and 20 year-old boys felt landing on the beach at Normandy, or in Iwo Jima, or jumping out of a helicopter in a jungle in South East Asia, or trudging through the dessert in the Middle East, being hit with bullets. mortars, missiles and grenades and gasping the last breaths of their young lives in the name of freedom. Most of us can't imagine it. Our lives are so peaceful and protected because of the sacrifices our soldiers made that we can't even fathom the horror and the atrocities these kids endured.
So, today, while you're drinking beer and barbequing, stop for a minute and give pause for the men and women who will never drink and barbeque again because they gave their lives so that you would have that freedom and luxury. All too often we take our freedom and our way of life for granted and never realize what it costs. According to the Department of Defense, since the American Revolution in 1775 through the end of Desert Storm in 1991, 1,194,198 soldiers lost their lives and 1,447,281 were wounded in service to the United States. No matter how much beer you're drinking those are sobering numbers. Pour a little on the ground for your homies. And the next time you're in an airport and you see a uniformed soldier either shipping out or coming home, go up and say "Thank-you." It would be nice if someone did that once in a while (while these men and women are still alive).
RX Muscle is home to many active-duty service men and women, and we are proud of the fact that you are some of the world's most bad-ass fighting machines. God forbid you don't come home you can rest assured that you will never be forgotten, and your service and the price you paid will never be taken for granted. To all the families and survivors of our great fighting men and women of America who gave their lives for their country, RX Muscle proudly acknowledges your great sacrifice. There is an American flag flying outside my home today - and outside millions of homes across America - because our brave soldiers gave their lives so those flags could wave freely.
Thank you.
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