EDITORIAL GRATITUDE THIS MEMORIAL DAY, THERE'S NO OVERLOOKING THE SACRIFICES OF AMERICA'S FALLEN HEROES.ON most years, Memorial Day gets the summer season going with barbecues and outings and only passing notice paid to what it commemorates. Not this year. This year, the steady stream of fatalities of Americans in Iraq makes the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform impossible to overlook. America's history is full of the stories of soldiers who have laid down their lives for our freedom - from the Minutemen minutemen, in the American Revolution, colonial militiamen or armed citizens who agreed to turn out for service at a minute's notice. The term minutemen in Lexington and Concord Noun 1. Lexington and Concord - the first battle of the American Revolution (April 19, 1775) Lexington, Concord American Revolution, American Revolutionary War, American War of Independence, War of American Independence - the revolution of the American to the intrepid warriors who stormed the beaches of Normandy; from those who perished in the Civil War to those who liberated lib·er·ate tr.v. lib·er·at·ed, lib·er·at·ing, lib·er·ates 1. To set free, as from oppression, confinement, or foreign control. 2. Chemistry To release (a gas, for example) from combination. Afghanistan from the clutches of the Taliban and al-Qaida. And now there are men and women who have lost their lives serving their country in Iraq - more than 800 of them, to date. Controversial though the war may be, it's not soldiers who start wars or who make the inevitable strategic mistakes that beset be·set tr.v. be·set, be·set·ting, be·sets 1. To attack from all sides. 2. To trouble persistently; harass. See Synonyms at attack. 3. any military operation. Those who have served in Iraq have bravely answered their nation's call, risking and giving their own lives out of a sense of service and commitment to the nation and the War on Terror This article is about U.S. actions, and those of other states, after September 11, 2001. For other conflicts, see Terrorism. The War on Terror (also known as the War on Terrorism . Americans of good will might differ on the war effort, but they are united in their admiration and respect for those who, when called, answered, and gave everything they had to their country. And while we have been inundated in·un·date tr.v. in·un·dat·ed, in·un·dat·ing, in·un·dates 1. To cover with water, especially floodwaters. 2. in recent weeks with photographs documenting abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison The Abu Ghraib prison (Arabic: سجن أبو غريب; also Abu Ghurayb) is in Abu Ghraib, an Iraqi city 32 km (20 mi) west of Baghdad. , Memorial Day is a poignant reminder that those who have disgraced us all are hardly representative of the whole of the U.S. military. For every soldier who mistreated a prisoner, there are thousands of honorable soldiers who have served their country nobly - and hundreds who have died in the process. So enjoy the day off. It is our freedom, after all, for which our veterans have fought. But on this Memorial Day, be sure to take at least a moment to think about or say a special prayer for all of our fallen heroes, especially those who have served in Iraq. Their sacrifice cannot be repaid, but it must never be forgotten. |
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