What irks is the mistaken assumption that Memorial Day is about veterans in general, when it is about honoring our war dead.
Save it for Veterans Day.
This.
Good point, A point that I see blurred more each year.
Memorial day is to Honor the dead.
I totally agree. I also cringe at being called a hero. I served in peacetime and never had to face a hostile enemy. People water down the true meaning of the word “hero” when they apply it to everyone who’s served. IMHO.
Save it for Veterans Day.
Ditto.
I try not to let that irk me either. I file that in the “they mean well” category.
I was irked very much that Memorial Day appeared to be mostly just a showcase for the military instead of concentrating and memorializing the dead who were killed in service. My brother was killed on Okinawa and I have documents that indicate to me he was killed protecting the advance of his fellow soldiers. I have official publications about the battles for Leyte and Okinawa and believe there were many men who gave their lives in these battles to save others but received only Bronze Stars. My brother is buried in the Punch Bowl Cemetery in Hawaii and I heard nothing about such a beautiful place of remembrance or any other such places throughout the USA.