As the mild May winds sweep through Colorado, carrying the smell of freshly cut grass and the laughter of family gatherings, it’s easy to get into the spirit of impending summer festivities and the Boulder Boulder Marathon.
Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and for many, it marks the unofficial start of summer. But behind the glamour of barbecues, parades and weekend sales, there are deeper meanings we should reflect on and respect.
This isn’t just a holiday – it’s a day of remembrance to honor the men and women who lost their lives in the service of the United States military. As Eagle Boy Scouts, our troops will plant flags at local cemeteries and hand out poppies to wear proudly to keep memories of the past alive.
This day also honors the pain of Gold Star families who lost loved ones in war. They have sacrificed so much for the greater good of society. Their loss is immeasurable, and it is our solemn duty as a nation to ensure that their loved ones are remembered not just as soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, but as individuals who once lived, loved and hoped. Let us honor their legacy by promoting peace, strengthening our communities and caring for the families they leave behind.
Celebrating Memorial Day should be a day of national unity, a day for people of all backgrounds to come together and reflect on the cost of freedom. Freedom is never free. It is earned by the lives of incredible men and women who answered the call of their country.
My father’s generation was known as “the Greatest Generation.” They were the generation that grew up during the Great Depression and either fought in World War II or their labors contributed to victory. They were modest citizens who returned to ordinary lives. They produced munitions at home, served in government, provided moral support to troops overseas, and gave us the unique spectacle of women in uniform, many of whom postponed their careers to join the war effort. They were the Greatest Generation, not for fame or recognition, but because they saw duty as the right thing to do. My father served as an Ensign on the USS Pensacola for three years, three months, and three days in the South Pacific.
So what happened? When did we sacrifice our strong American values ​​and become obsessed with greed, power and selfishness? Perhaps it was in the late 1900s that the self-sacrifice and teamwork that had kept America going began to crumble into greed and materialism.
Perhaps it’s because people are debating topics like election legitimacy on social media every minute of every day.
Today’s enemies are not Japanese, Italian or German. Rather, they are homegrown: global warming, mass shootings, conspiracy theories, domestic terrorism, a nation’s political divisions, growing anti-government sentiment epitomized by angry public affairs shows on radio and television, the rising costs of higher education and health care, the misuse of technology by fake news, an economy that is not working for everyone, the collapse of the middle class, and the struggle between authoritarianism and democracy for control.
There is a desperate need for Americans of all ages to rise up and live out the noble ideals that have seen us through difficult times, not just World War II, but the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression, the 9/11 attacks, Watergate, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, the assassinations of President Kennedy, his brother Bobby, and Martin Luther King Jr., and the January 6th storming of the Capitol.
Today, serious enemies of our greatness exist: a nation that teaches its children to strive only when they expect great rewards, to work not to earn college tuition but to spend money on useless things. There is the birth of artificial intelligence, which will fundamentally change our nation and the world. There are forces of apathy, of inertia, that keep us dependent on mobile phones, social media, and things dedicated to our enjoyment. There is still too much anger and violence in our schools, our neighborhoods, our society, and of course in our hearts.
We need a new Greatest Generation to take control of our future and ensure America’s place as the most powerful nation in the world. They must show a renewed commitment to public service and contribution that goes beyond mere political agendas.
We need to continue sharing our unique talents abroad, providing the latest technology in a variety of fields, such as producing safe drinking water, running farms, building schools and providing medical assistance.
Across the country, we need new volunteers to serve in schools, civic organizations and charities and help revitalize our communities.
We need parents who will run for school committees and help their kids with their homework, we need courageous community leaders who will help our local governments manage their public services without fear of vicious personal attacks, we need people who will tutor at-risk children and register new voters.
We still need all Americans to show that we still have the right qualities, and that war is not the only way to prove greatness. Sacrifice, unity, hard work, and humility must once again define the American character.
We are not a broken nation, merely incomplete, and our goal is always to become, not perfect, but a more perfect union, as enumerated in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution.
If we don’t all work, we risk becoming the “worst generation.”
Jim Martin can be contacted at Please contact jimmartinesq@gmail.com.
