![\"Funeral-3\"](\"https:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/05\/funeral-3.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\nToday, after writing this, I\u2019ll walk to Swiss Cottage station, take the Jubilee line to Bond Street, and head east on the Central line from there.\u00a0 I\u2019ll emerge from London\u2019s labyrinthine underground network in the shadow of the towering dome of St. Paul\u2019s Cathedral.\u00a0 Once inside, I\u2019ll head to the eastern end of the building and find the American Memorial Chapel.\u00a0 This corner of the cathedral complex was destroyed during the blitz in World War II, and the chapel was rebuilt as a commemoration of the Americans who died during the conflict.<\/p>\n
That will be my place to reflect, to mark this day.\u00a0 Memorial Day is at once a national day of commemoration and an intensely personal one.\u00a0 We all feel Memorial Day differently.\u00a0 But however it\u2019s experienced, it\u2019s the day we set aside as a nation, when we can take a few moments to remember.<\/p>\n
There are specific memories that, while always there, come back to me each Memorial Day.\u00a0 I remember the moment I heard the news of the first person in my Officer Candidate School platoon that had been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.\u00a0 I remember the \u201chero flights\u201d that came to our bases to carry fallen servicemembers on the first leg of their journeys home.\u00a0 I remember the bracelets that we wore, each of which carried the name of a friend gone too soon, and how few wrists were unadorned by one as the years of war went on.<\/p>\n
But these are my memories.\u00a0 Few among us don\u2019t have memories of their own.\u00a0 They may be from today\u2019s wars or yesterday\u2019s.\u00a0 They may be poignant or fleeting.\u00a0 They may feature friends, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, neighbors, or just somebody we\u2019ve read about.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 Today is the day that we set aside to carry those memories forward.<\/p>\n
And just as each American will feel Memorial Day uniquely, we will each mark it in our own way. \u00a0I\u2019ve attended a memorial service in the chapel on a small base in Baghdad; I\u2019ve watched a sunset over the dusty plains of Helmand province from atop a bunker; I\u2019ve made the trip to Arlington National Cemetery; and this year, I\u2019ll head to a small memorial chapel in central London.\u00a0 Much has changed in my life since I stopped wearing ACUs.\u00a0 Marking this day is one thing that never will.<\/p>\n
Our calendar is filled with holidays that have iconic and defining items associated with them. \u00a0Christmas has its trees, Thanksgiving has Turkey, Easter has eggs and a rabbit.\u00a0 Memorial Day is a blank canvas, ours to commemorate in whatever way we see fit.\u00a0 Old men might tell stories about their buddies to children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren.\u00a0 Young vets might send around emails to recall stories about \u201cthat one time\u201d that a certain friend did something great or funny or crazy before he was gone.\u00a0 Some will visit cemeteries, others will spend some time alone, and still others will take a moment amid a chaotic and happy day with family or friends to remember what today is.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter how we do it.\u00a0 It\u2019s just important that we do it.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t really say \u201chappy Memorial Day.\u201d\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t sound right.\u00a0 So instead, and on behalf of War on the Rocks, let me just say that I hope your weekend has been an enjoyable one, and that you\u2019re all able today to mark this day, however you choose.\u00a0 If it seems right to you, it\u2019s the right way.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Read the Original Article at War on the Rocks<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Image:\u00a0Lt. Col. Paul Fanning, New York Army National Guard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n