You see this is our solemn Memorial Day trust. We must give witness. All wars involve sacrifice and loss and these only have meaning in the act of public remembrance. I realize that it has become almost a clich to say that we live in complex times. The speed and noise of everyday existence buffet all of us, and most assuredly by the surfeit of information brought by the new media.
Modern life crowds out reflection and memory.
We spend so much effort embracing daily concerns that there is little motivation to look back. Part of this phenomenon too is that our young have little opportunity to find emotional connection to the past, to understand the cost and the value of these sacrifices made. In times past, the idea of sacrifice and public service had far more meaning for most Americans than it does today. I personally believe that when the draft was ended by President Nixon, much more disappeared than just the idea of universal military service. This participation and interest issue has far broader implications than Memorial Day observances alone and is instructive about concerns we all should have about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship Memorial Day is about all of us.