Will Americans come together on Memorial Day 2024?

A volunteer places a flag in the ground in front of a grave at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Sunday, May 26, 2024. Hundreds of volunteers placed flags on thousands of graves the day before Memorial Day. (Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)

Memorial Day is more than just the start of summer and a day for barbecues — it’s a day to remember the men and women who have lost their lives serving in the United States military.

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 called “The Greatest Generation.” They were the generation that grew up during the Great Depression and either fought in World War II or helped win it through their work. They were modest citizens, but returned to normal life after Hitler was defeated. Many postponed their careers, and many gave their lives to fight in the war. They were called “The Greatest Generation” because they saw their duty as the right thing to do, not for fame or recognition. My father served three years, three months, and three days in the South Pacific as an Ensign on the USS Pensacola.

So what happened? When did we begin to sacrifice our strong American values ​​and become consumed by 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.

The 2020 election accelerated the decline in approval ratings, with some Americans debating topics like the legitimacy of the election on social media every minute of every day.

Today’s enemy is not Japan, Italy or Germany, but homegrown enemies: global warming, mass shootings, conspiracy theories, domestic terrorism, the nation’s political divisions, growing anti-government sentiment epitomized by angry public policy shows on radio and television, social injustice, the high costs of higher education and health care, the misuse of technology by fake news, an economy that doesn’t work for everyone, a disappearing middle class, and the rise of authoritarianism.

Americans of all ages must live out the noble ideals that have carried us through difficult times, not only World War II, but also Watergate, the Vietnam War, the 9/11 attacks, 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, there exists a serious enemy to our greatness: a nation that teaches its children to work only when they expect a big reward, to work not to earn college tuition, but to spend money on useless things. The advent of artificial intelligence will fundamentally change our nation and the world.

There is apathy, an inertial force that compels us to become addicted to our phones, social media and anything dedicated to pleasure.

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.