“It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.”
-- Richard ThompsonMemorial Day has become synonymous with celebrations, beach parties, shopping, short vacations, picnics, camping trips, and so on. It’s just another occasion to splurge and be merry. But deep down our heart, we are forgetting one point, rather the main point - Memorial Day is the time to pay our tribute to the fallen heroes of this country who constitute only 7% of the nation’s population.
Memorial Day - Let’s look at the numbers
- Veteran population in the country - 22 million
- Veterans who served the country in wars - 42 million
- Members of the army who sacrificed their lives - 1.3 million
- Number of people who hit the road on Memorial Day - 34,800,000
- Increase in retail traffic - 73%
How we are wasting money on the Memorial Day
When you type memorial day in Google search engine, you’ll find ‘auto search suggestions’ related to ‘memorial day sales’, ‘memorial day songs’, ‘memorial day sayings’, etc. What is notable is that there is no word related to salute or soldiers, and this shows the mentality of the people in the country.
People are more interested in having fun than paying tribute to soldiers or helping them in any way.
People are more interested in having fun than paying tribute to soldiers or helping them in any way, and that’s tragic.
If you look at your neighbors or browse web articles, you’ll find that most people celebrate the Memorial Day in the following ways:
- Organize a Memorial Day party
- Go for a camping trip
- Have a feast
- Have fun in park
- Enjoy a short vacation
- Rent a boat or a canoe or a kayak
- Watch a movie
- Go to a music festival
- Organize a cheese and wine party
- Go for shopping
In 2016, people lost almost $139.2 million value of items in Memorial weekend. In 2013, travelers spent $1.44 billion just on gas. These 2 figures are enough to give an idea about the amount people are wasting every year.
How we can honor our soldiers
Mostly, you get 3 days in the Memorial Day weekend. I agree that we all want to celebrate with family in those days. But can’t we devote at least one day to honor our soldiers? Is it too much to ask?
Here are a few simple ways to salute soldiers instead of wasting money on that day.
- Write a ‘thank you’ note on Twitter and Facebook in person
- Keep flowers or American flag on a veteran’s gravestone
- Take your kids to a military museum
- Explain to your kids about why Memorial Day is important
- Put an American flag image on your Facebook or Twitter account
- Sponsor a Care package to an ailing Veteran
- Send a message to the US troops at the USO website
- Send coffee to US troops overseas
- Send “Thank You” cards to injured warriors
- Do volunteer work to support the soldiers and their families at the National Resource Directory
- Use these hashtags when you’re posting something to appreciate soldiers - #memorialday, #usmilitary, #thankavet, #military, #honorourvets, #USA, #veterans, etc.
- Chat with overseas soldiers
- Spend some time with veterans
- Participate in the events to salute soldiers
Conclusion
I end this article on Memorial Day with this message that let us pay tribute to our valiant soldiers for dedicated service in our country. Let help them and their families financially instead of wasting money on shopping and expensive fun-frolic activities. Be dollarwise on this Memorial Day so that both you and veterans can enjoy equally.
