Memorial Day

Uncle Charlie Aiken was one of three veterans from a Whitesboro, Texas family — all involved in World War II.
Charles Aiken, J.C. Aiken and Hubert Aiken have all gone on to be with their maker; Uncle Charlie was the last to go. We celebrated his life at his funeral in July. These are some of the men our family will be remembering this Memorial Day.

In a letter to the editor published in the Herald Democrat Nov. 19, 2006, Paulette Pugh of Pottsboro, Texsa wrote “Don’t we realize that if it wasn’t for these veterans we wouldn’t have a Memorial Day or 4th of July? I just think there should be more attention paid to this holiday by merchants than what it has become or I should say for what it HAS NOT become.” Pugh was lamenting that she had a hard time finding small flags to place on veteran graves for Veterans Day. I agree with her sentiment, not just for merchants but for all of us.

For many of us, Memorial Day is a paid holiday from work. It’s a day families get together in their back yards and put the grill or smoker to work. We don’t always stop to think about the meaning of the day or the men and women who’ve given their lives so we can have the freedom to celebrate such days.

I asked one of our pressmen what Memorial Day means to him and, without taking the time to think about it, Bobby Penn said “It’s for the guys who fought these wars and have fallen to preserve our right to be free.”

Residents of the U.S. do experience freedoms not realized in other countries. I just finished two novels by Khaled Hosseini which helped me understand a little of the Afghanistan struggle under the tyrannical rule of the Taliban. It also made me appreciate even more the life we have in this country.

Our country is divided in opinions today on the right or wrong of a war no one wants, but we still support our men and women doing the fighting. It’s a complicated issue for everyone that can’t be settled in this short space, but I’m proud of our country and its accomplishments since the original 13 colonies were formed.

I’m glad ours is a country that won’t stand by and allow atrocities of a rogue nation continue against its own people. Uncle Charlie landed on the beach at Anzio in WWII and said they lost a man for every step they took. He suffered the rest of his life from injuries received in a battle fought in the days after that costly landing. He understood what was wrong with Hitler’s tyranny. He and others like him are true American heroes.

Today, for Memorial Day, I’m also remembering some of the Texoma area soldiers who’ve paid the ultimate price in battle for this country in recent years like Staff Sgt. Michael Allen Shank, Sgt. Michael Luke Boatright, Spc. Bradon J. Long and Sgt. James P. Muldoon.