Memorial Day 2020 - To Also Honor Those In New Battlefronts

News Peg

Memorial Day, mourning and honoring the military personnel from the U.S. Armed Forces who died while serving, occurred this past Monday, May 25.

Unfortunately, less than half of Americans know the real meaning behind Memorial Day and why it is celebrated. 27% of Americans believe the day is celebrated to commemorate the veterans who have served for the U.S. Armed Forces - that is called, Veterans Day.

Most Americans don’t know when Memorial Day is even celebrated. 

While Memorial Day has merely become “a day off from work” or “a nice summer day to have a barbecue” for many Americans, this year Memorial Day may force us to think differently about the holiday as a whole.

With the COVID pandemic causing nearly 100,000 deaths in the U.S. alone, this year Memorial Day may allow us to introspect on the warriors and fighters who sacrifice on the battlefront for our wellbeing. 

The Military Warriors

As of March 20, 2020, more than 90 American soldiers have died during Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. 

It is always difficult to be grateful for the service of someone we can’t see. It’s hard to be grateful for something that we are used to having and can’t imagine living without. The blessing of freedom and human rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” are protected by those soldiers.

And even though we may not agree with the wars and reasons for entering into them, soldiers have given up their lives for the country that has protected, nourished, and provided us with a safe home.

Thus, paying our respects and salutes to those soldiers and martyrs every year should be assumed.

Our New Battlefront

This may also be a year for us to add another memorial - one that values those members of the medical teams across the globe, for the matter, who have died due to the pandemic. According to an early May report from the Center for Disease Control, more than 9,000 U.S. health workers contracted the virus.

More than 1,000 medical workers have died across the globe due to the pandemic. They were medical specialists, doctors, nurses, consultants, and administrators fighting in the frontline to save lives.

At the end of this terrible journey in human history, many lives will be honored. Everyone who fought and died this virus will be remembered in our hearts.

But the doctors, volunteers and medical team will be forever etched in our hearts and homes for fighting to protect us.

Though we may not have directly been impacted by the virus, there cautions, selfless service, and risk need to be memorialized.

What It Means

Memorial Day, like any holiday, is a reminder. Mothers Day isn’t the only day we go out to value and respect our mothers, but it acts as a national reminder for us to honor our mothers.

The same goes for Memorial Day - it is a reminder for us to honor the martyrs and soldiers who fought for the protection of the nation we live in. 

And especially this year - when COVID-caused deaths have surpassed deaths in wars like Vietnam - we honor those frontliners, health workers, fighting for our and their lives.

Memorial Day in 2020 became a reminder to honor those soldiers who protect us - whether it is a battlefield or a hospital.

This year, this holiday reminds us to value the deaths of those who died for our well-being, and thus...to also value our lives as well.