I listened to The President as he spoke at Ft. McHenry today; he spoke of the invisible enemy we are fighting: he spoke of the “tens of thousands” in our Military who had answered the call to fight; he mentioned the National Guard, the War of 1812 and the Star Spangled Banner, he used words like “freedom” “immortal souls” “bravery” “din of Battle” “patriots” and the forces who “held like nobody could have held before, they held this fort…..”
Memorial Day is a specific day, meant to remember those who have died fighting in the US Military. It used to be “Decoration Day”, a day flowers were placed on the graves of the Military. Memorial Day is to our sacrificed military what Holy Communion is to those sitting alive and well in church:
“This is my body, killed for you. This is my blood shed for you. I can’t be here . . .Remember Me.”
Of course, we didn’t hear such “sacrilege” from the conservative biblio-crowd. Instead in the President’s Memorial Day speech, we heard about our military fighting the virus (I missed that memo) and we heard about their brave exploits since they are, after all, still alive; we heard about a burning flag and the fact it will last forever (albeit carbonized), and we heard high flown fighting words that made minimal reference to the actual men and women put in the position of fighting and dying for us.
So let us remember. On this Memorial Day we’re not fighting a war with “an invisible enemy” named coronavirus.
On this Memorial Day I hope when we hear such words, and the others, the Star spangled words meant to fill us with chest-thumping pride, that we spit in the sand, we gnash our teeth and stomp the ground, howl at the moon and cuss on paper.
On this Memorial Day, I hope we remember, remember, remember, that our enemy is not invisible. Our enemy is 3D visible, because even ideas are visible when embodied, empowered, emboldened. Whether person, mob (elected or otherwise) corporation, weapon, or codified words, the dead and buried fought and died not against a virus, but for that which this virus transforms from invisible to visible.
To be remembered after we are dead, is but poor recompense for being treated with contempt while we are living.——William Hazlitt, 1778-1830
Memorial Day 2020