I don’t really have that much to say about Memorial Day that stems from personal experience. I can talk a little about the VA from personal experience. Basically, I had a small income that Mom put away for college and things because Pop was a veteran, and he died of a service related heart ailment. I remember getting checks from the VA, and having to register in a special line in college because of my benefits. I wasn’t a very good student and I regret that, now. I got a couple of hundred dollars a month
that basically got signed directly over to my alma mater (hence the special line). I ran across an article today about how little money the children of fallen Iraq and Gulf War vets get nowadays… and was shocked to find it’s not much more than I got. Apparently, our wonderful Congress (both parties) failed to institute a timely and retroactive increase in survivor benefits, and there are inequities galore.
When I think of Memorial Day, I don’t think of barbecues or shopping the big happy fun sales. I think of endless rows of headstones in huge cemeteries all over the globe – Arlington, Normandy, and Hawaii – and little American flags placed on each grave.
It’s strange how forgetful we are on Memorial Day.
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