A whole lot of us cracked a cold beer today. Many of us gassed up the boat or the Jeep. More than a few of us fired up the charcoal grill…all because it was Memorial Day. A long weekend. The unofficial first day of summer.
But this arbitrary celebration is misplaced. You see, Memorial Day is a somber reminder of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in order for you, the ever-so-slightly ungrateful, to have a choice between Hunt’s and Heinz when you made a run to the convenience store for ketchup.
Memorial Day isn’t about the brave men and women who came back, but about those who would never again see home. It’s not a fun holiday.
President Trump reminded us all of that today.
President Trump on Monday visited Arlington National Cemetery and Baltimore’s historic Fort McHenry to honor fallen soldiers for Memorial Day as he touted America’s long history of courage and fortitude in the face of adversity — and sought to once more rally that national spirit in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
“Together, we will vanquish the virus, and America will rise from this crisis to new, and even greater heights,” Trump said at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. “As our brave warriors have shown us from the nation’s earliest days – in America, we are the captains of our own fate.
“No obstacle, no challenge, and no threat is a match for the sheer determination of the American people,” Trump continued. “This towering spirit permeates every inch of the hallowed soil beneath our feet.”
This year’s remembrance was particularly poignant, as Trump had earlier ordered flags to fly at half staff on account of the nearly 100,000 who have perished at the hands of coronavirus over the course of the last few months.
