Memorial Day, 2012

Every year, this is one of the days that daunts me. What on earth do I have to say to those who served, or their families who have borne losses?

Then I remember that in a very real way, every one of these soldiers is of my community, and that I owe them remembrance. That my family has, on both sides, served in wars from the Civil War to the present Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts (thank God, in my lifetime they've all come home), and that, although the members of my family who have served don't give me the right to claim any kind of standing, my love and loyalty to them are not nothing.

So, a Memorial Day post. Courtesy of our friends at Balloon Juice, here's Joe Biden, discussing loss and healing with, as the post by blogger "mistermix" explains, families "brought together by the Tragedy Assistance Program Program for Survivors, a non-profit that helps families and friends of deceased military men and women military" in a remarkably frank, and I think helpful, way:



Remember the fallen.