Meaning Of Memorial Day? Relax

Lauren Evans
May 22, 2009, 11:42 AM

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Like many Americans, I associate our various federal holidays with one word: barbecue.

Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day — the only variable that changes is whether I will be grilling my hot dog wearing a bathing suit or a sweater.

Such irreverence is likely not what the government had in mind when it instituted this nationwide day of rest. But relaxation doesn't have to mean disrespect. In fact, enjoying a rare day of leisure is the most American thing we can do.

My own grandfather was a fighter pilot in World War II. The experience cost him his hearing, but garnered him a lifetime's worth of stories. Once, he said, he was training off the coast of Hawaii when his plane malfunctioned. He and his gunner went down, plunging into the swirling black waters below. "No problem" he thought, "a rescue plane will be by in no time."

An hour passed. Then another. My grandpa and his gunner sat perched in their lifejackets, two microscopic islands bobbing in an endless sea. Who knows what passed through their minds during those interminable hours. They could have thought about sharks. They could have thought about hypothermia or dehydration or any number of maladies associated with many hours spent in the ocean during a war.

But knowing my grandfather, I doubt he thought about any of those things. He was probably too busy focusing on what he would do once he was back on dry land. I'll even lay you odds that at some point, he thought about how great it would be to grill up a hot dog.

Eight hours later, my grandpa and his gunner were finally rescued. The plane initially sent to save them had crashed, though at the time, of course, they hadn't known that. To the less optimistic, eight hours of such uncertainty is plenty of time to become consumed with despair. But my grandfather had never been given to dwelling on his circumstances, only his plans for what he'd do next.

My grandfather did not die in military service. Rather, he went on to live a long life and passed away last March at the age of 89. I like to think that like any veteran, he'd be proud of our country right now, a country that he helped shape. I also like to think he'd be glad that everywhere, from Hawaii to Rhode Island, people will be honoring his service by enjoying themselves, spending time with their friends and family, and making hot dogs.

After all, that's what he'd be doing, too.