Honor those who gave all with refusal to give in
However you envision the future of this great nation, don’t offer mean-spiritedness, division, corruption and disillusionment a seat at the table.
As a career Naval Officer and West Virginia Congressional Candidate, when I think of Memorial Day, I’m reminded of a line from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”
We seem to lose sight of this concept quickly, America. It’s easy enough to post a meme about honoring “those who gave all,” reminding folks about the history of the day, and to ruminate on the sacrifices made by generations of uniformed personnel. Even easier is leaning into our nation’s fetishization of the military as a way to advance our political agenda; “honor the flag,” “they died so you can have a day off,” “they’d be here if not for the military industrial complex,” “vote red/blue to protect what they died for.”
The list goes on. I don’t have to describe it. The posts are truly prolific, and they are already upon us.
I could fall into that unhelpful chorus of noise, putting the full weight of my military career behind my political aspirations and drawing comparisons to villains of old and our need to fight them anew the way The Greatest Generation did in the Second World War. I could. You might even have expected me to. I wouldn’t be alone.
But that’s not what today is about, that’s not what military service is about, it’s not what the greatest sacrifice comes down to, and that quote from Lincoln is a sharp reprimand, when you read it correctly, any time you risk forgetting as much.
On Memorial Day we honor those who fought and died in service to not just the security of America and her interests, but to advance the vision, the idea of America, described by George Washington as, “the last great experiment for promoting human happiness.”
It isn’t about who dons the flag more often, who crows the loudest, who can “own” either the “liberals” or the “conservatives.” It’s not about petty tribalism and the assertion that anyone living in a manner alternative to my way must learn to conform or suffer.
America is about building bridges, gathering communities, aligning a whole swath of very different, often fractious people under one mission: do better by the people, for the people, with the people. It’s about the fact that at the end of the day, 80% of us can agree 80% of the time on 80% of the issues, and can be willing to debate the rest of it within reason.
So get engaged. Put an end to “us versus them.” Demand intelligent, civil discourse from your representatives at every level. Elevate the idea of human decency. Step outside your political and personal comfort zone more often. Listen to something beyond your bubble.
The American Flag stands for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for every American, not just the ones you like or agree with. That’s the mission. That’s the “freedom” that a great, great many people paid with their lives to secure and protect.
If you want to honor the fallen, take the mission up wherever you are, however you can, whether you wear a uniform yourself or not.
Steven Wendelin is a candidate for West Virginia Congressional District Two for Congress and a retired Commander of the U.S. Navy.
