On Memorial Day, Let’s Prove Gen. Logan Wrong

What are you planning to do this Memorial Day? What is the day for? Why was it created?. Despite a long tradition of public promises that those who give their lives fighting for their families, cities and countries will live on in communal memory, human hearts and minds can stand only so much. Memories fade. When our society does not bear the burdens of war collectively, we suffer collective amnesia. As a result, in most American communities during the Memorial Day weekend, people tend to do things like those listed on austin360.com: attending a crawfish festival, eating burgers for brunch, drinking popsicle cocktails, zinging along ziplines, singing karaoke with a live band, and checking out vintage cars and hot rods. But what does any of this have to do with a national day of reverent commemoration? In Austin, a movie is featured each day at a grand old theater - "Titanic," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Bonnie and Clyde" and Werner Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo." None of these films makes any connection with what those who have served in our armed forces have gone through for our sake. This Memorial Day marks 150 years since what was originally called Decoration Day was first observed, and it sadly confirms the premonition of the Civil War veteran who proposed it.