Memorial Day
Created in 1923, the American Battle Monuments Commission administers, operates and maintains 26 permanent American military cemeteries and 31 federal memorials, monuments and markers, which are located in 17 countries throughout the world with four memorials in the U.S. Interred in these cemeteries are 30,973 WWI American war dead, 92,958 from WWII, and 750 from the Mexican-American War. More than 15,000 American veterans and others are interred in the Mexico City National Cemetery, Corozal American Cemetery and Clark Veterans Cemetery. More than 94,000 American servicemen and women who were missing in action, lost, or buried at sea during World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War are listed by name on stone tablets in ABMC cemeteries and memorials.
“History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart and we repeat history until we are able to make another’s pain in the heart our own.” — J. Lester
In 2013, my husband and I traveled to the Lorraine American Cemetery near St. Avold, France. We visited the graves of 11 soldiers in my medic father's company that he watched die or perished before he could get to them.
It was an extremely moving experience. The deep reverence for those buried there was shown by the staff who greeted us, the men mowing the lawn who moved away as we approached a section, and the driver of the golf cart delivering flowers to a long-lost loved one. There wasn't a blade of grass out of place. In fact, it appeared perfect. Except for the loss of all those young people and the holes they left in the hearts of those who loved them. I cried at the grave of each of those 11 soldiers that my dad knew and wrote about. The gravestones that were most impacting were of the unknown soldiers.
From my dad's WWII journal,
"Guess I might as well record a few things, but I know I shan’t ever forget, especially that morning of the 18th. We moved up from Oberseebach during the night to another town, supposedly Wissembourg, and proceeded to carry out an attack at the town, Oberotterbach, Germany. As we moved through a vineyard we got a nice welcome of mortars and 88s, indeed my so-called 'Baptism of
Fire.' As I lay on the ground waiting for one to drop on me and write 'finis,' I was hit (8:30 a.m.) in the upper right arm by shrapnel. Boy!
Was I prayin’, sweatin’, cursin’, and whatnot—and what a sensation, sting as they say. Moved my fingers and was much relieved to see ‘em move, then cautiously looked at my arm and about then heard a guy call in great pain, so I say to hell with my arm and take off. Crawled through to Pop Karnes and found in bad shape. Helped Sgt. Close who had a neck wound. LaPoint was all shot up. Dragged LaPoint to ditch and went back after Pop. With aid of Jennings who was half out of his mind, we finally got Pop to ditch. What agony! Makes me sick to think of it. Why I wasn’t killed during that hour or so I do not know. Pop died in an hour or so with concussion and I’m satisfied I did my best under such conditions. I hope the other guys think so. The least I could do was say a little prayer for him. I hope it helped. It was terrible—enough of that. My arm started bothering me in the middle of the afternoon so I turned in to the aid station. Hazelton took my place and I really felt cowardly 'chicken' or whatever one might say."
Herman's fellow soldiers called him 'Pop' because he was 39 years old. Herman's wife, Hazel, died seven months before him in May of 1944. According to her death certificate, Hazel had tuberculosis and was unable to eat because she was afraid her husband would die in the war.
In Dear Nora, the character Mother writes on May 22, 1944,
"We’ll soon have another class of high school graduates—36 this year. I feel sad for the young men who will be drafted immediately without even a minute to enjoy the summer, plan their future, or have a normal life. So many will never return, leaving empty places, broken hearts, and new mounds of earth in foreign cemeteries. Their childhood here could not prepare them for what they are soon to experience."
The best way to truly honor those who have died in war is to eliminate war.
Humans can create and sustain lasting peace on earth.