Today is the traditional date of Decoration Day, the day when we remember those who’ve given their lives in war. It is not the ersatz denatured Monday holiday that was named Memorial Day about forty years ago. Long weekends are great but societies are kept together with shared traditions and rituals, not by long weekends.
One of the ways in which traditions are preserved is by telling and retelling the stories and Callimachus at Done With Mirrors has told the stories of eight Americans, both soldiers and civilians, who gave their lives in the war in Iraq. Their life stories, beliefs, and reasons for being in Iraq were as diverse as America is herself.
I was moved to tears by this great post as I think practically anyone with a heart in his body will be.
