An Extra Special Memorial Day

Memorial Day seems even more meaningful this year for the Reid family.

We just got back from the U.S. Naval Academy graduation at Annapolis, MD, where Ben Reid, our grandson, the son of Barry and Mary Reid, graduated, receiving his diploma and 2nd lieutenant bars with his commission as a U.S. Marine Corps officer. He will begin his Marine Corps career beginning in August.

It caused our eyes to get a little misty as we watched Ben and about 1,000 other beautiful and robust young men and women, who offer renewed hope for America, go through the ceremony.

While the graduates were joyous at having completed four years of challenging academics, we were thinking of what they may face as they prepare to dedicate their irretrievable young years to the service of their nation. As we watched them – tall, lithe and bright – we recalled the period after the Vietnam War when patriotic young Americans who chose to serve their nation returned to jeers and abuse.

They came home not to cheering crowds but awful vilification – name calling and spitting on servicemen in airports, for instance. The opportunistic left had made its appearance by that time.

It was shameful to treat young servicemen and women who were only following policies their elected government ordered in such a spiteful (you might add stupid) way.

While the United States may have matured between that time and this, events in the nation’s capital during the past two years indicate that may not be so. The left continues to push its radical agenda against American values.

We pray that the servicemen and women of today – both those entering from the service academies and others volunteering for duty – are not subjected to such childish behavior.

It would break our heart to see these young people who are so excited about the prospect of serving their nation treated in the same manner as those returning from Vietnam.

Our military personnel are defending the safety – plus the values – that reflect America’s greatness. Charles Bucci, a U.S. Army Academy (West Point) graduate with three decades of service as an Army Special Forces officer and who is now a visiting research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, commented:

“Many people today (Memorial Day) could not tell you what we are celebrating. That is sad, and shows not … maturity but an intellectual and emotional atrophy. A nation that does not honor its dead is a nation in trouble.  

“This is not an indictment of all Americans; many will know exactly what they are doing on Monday, May 27. They will pause, perhaps pray, and remember those who gave all for America.  

“When we see others who are not doing that, I hope that we can gently remind them.

“When children ask, ‘Why is today a holiday?,’ parents can explain. They can point to the names on those small town monuments, and say: “We are remembering them. They died for our freedom.”

Have a blessed Memorial Day. But take a few moments to remember that this is not about sales, or barbecues, or days off.  This is a day to remember sacrifice and authentic heroism.”

Nolan Peterson, a Heritage Foundation correspondent and former U.S. military veteran whose columns normally deal with happenings in Ukraine, adds more touching meaning to the Memorial Day celebration with his “A Memorial Day Reminder from Iraq,” elsewhere in this issue.

The thunderous roar of the Blue Angels flying in a tight and low formation over the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 2019 caused our hearts to swell with pride.

But for us, the real treat of the weekend was the time spent with family – new members and old – who came together to celebrate Ben’s achievement.

Our grandson Conner Reid and his lovely girlfriend Kristina Lieu graciously hosted us for four days in their Annapolis apartment and Conner celebrated his 29^th birthday by grilling koobideh, a delicious Persian beef kabob, for us and the rest of the crowd.

The event brought a rare and welcome opportunity to reconnect with granddaughter Tiffany Bishop, her husband Barrett and their children Bailey, Graham and Wyatt, who reside in Virginia.

Todd Taylor, Barry’s lifelong friend, and wife Laura were among those who traveled from Oklahoma to celebrate Ben, another longtime connection we were glad to renew. We also renewed our acquaintance with Ben’s fiancée Julia Speranzo, Naval Academy class of 2020, who is as kind as she is courageous, and discovered the source of her best qualities when we met her parents, Joe and Marian.

Our son Barry made the trip easy for us by good-naturedly assuming the role of driver and tour guide, no mean feat in a city with carriage-wide streets and traffic swollen to four times its usual volume.

But the real hero of the week was Ben’s hard-working mom Mary, whose organizational and event-planning skills would put a military logistics officer to shame.

Even though her last name is not Poppins, she managed to pull a week’s worth of meals and celebrations – and a lifetime of memories – out of four suitcases, turning a vacation rental into a welcoming home-away-from-home for her family and friends and Ben’s academy buddies and their families too.

We were so honored to be included in a Memorial Day weekend that provided the best possible reminder of the blessings we too often take for granted.

Ben and his fellow officers’ commitment to duty, honor and country may be the bulwark of our continued success as a nation.

But the essential foundation will always be family.