Memorial Day 2010

One day a year this country pays tribute those who have sacrificed so much for our way of life, including their own lives. Millions have gone off to faraway places, volunteered or not, regardless of skin color, political views, families or careers. Many continue to pay a heavy price for their patriotism and devotion to the cause and yet, hundreds of thousands still go to war for us and our way of life.

On the Boston Common, there are 20,000 flags representing those from Mass who have sacrificed their lives. We still have 38 or so servicemen unaccounted for from Vietnam and just recently, finally resolved the first Desert Storm POW MIA pilot who was shot down on the first days of that war.

All the fancy speeches from the pols this Memorial Day may make the families of lost ones feel better, that at least their sacrifice will not be forgotten, it still begs the question, why do we lose so many of our people to war and will it ever end?

I think about my friends who went and those who came back only to suffer in so many ways I couldn't even understand. Gut wrenching accounts still haunt the young and old servicemen and women and no matter what the cost, this country owes it to those who have served. The fact that one out of three homeless people are veterans shows us we need to do better.

My own personal beliefs aside, I will never be able to show my appreciation enough. So I will proudly fly my Stars and Stripes and POW MIA flags as I do every day, and thank those of you who have done what I could not do, go to war.