If those who made the ultimate sacrifice saw the US (and us) today, what would they think?

Memorial Day Weekend is something that carries special meaning to me apart from the occasion itself, or the memories it stirs of my great uncles, all long since passed who fought in World War II. That meaning is two-fold. One: That it was Memorial Day Weekend 13 years ago now when I came back to work at the Leader; and Two: That through this job I've been fortunate to meet so many amazing veterans in this community – many of whom we've also sadly lost in the years since – and at the same time learn about so many more whose incredible stories have far outlived their time on this earth.

Something I continue to be astounded by is just how many people from Anaconda served their country over the years, some even before there was an Anaconda as you'll notice if you should go up to our cemeteries tomorrow morning and plant flags on veterans' graves and notice the ones from the Civil War – one of whom, Thomas Ward, was a Medal of Honor recipient. Veterans have left an indelible mark on our community, beyond graves and monuments to the work they did in helping build this town into what it is over the years.

And none of them would ever forget the ones who never came back home. Their names are etched in metal and stone and not merely in cemeteries but in public places like the Memorial Gym and Kennedy Common, so that the public will remember them as well. It's said that the final death is to be forgotten, but worse still would be for the people to forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice and not because of what it would mean for the dead but rather for the living and what it would say about such a people.

Now I'm not going to engage in "necromancy" by summoning our war dead and asking them to tell us what they think, all I'd be doing is putting my own words in their mouth anyway. But I am going to request that you all to give a moment to think about what the brave men and women of this country fought and died for, and ask yourselves what they might think if they really were to come back and see how things have turned out. No doubt they would be struck speechless by the advance of technology and couldn't comprehend the wealth of information we have at our fingertips (even those who died fighting in Iraq 20 years ago would never have seen an iPhone). 

But looking beyond that, what would they see – what would they see of the people, and what would they think of the world that people of today have made? It's a question without an answer, and it's a question with at least as many answers as there are people who ask it of themselves. That's one of the two reasons I pose it. One: To take a step back and look at how we perceive things; and Two: to do so through a perspective that we all probably don't give much, if any, consideration to even on the one day of the year that's specifically set aside for it. While you're enjoying your cookouts with the "unofficial start of summer" this weekend (did we even get a spring?), perhaps spare a few seconds' thought on those who gave all, ask yourselves that same question, and if you don't like the answer, maybe spare a few more on considering why that is and what you can do to change it.