Kimber the Magnificent here. Giving you a little heads up. Cuz The ‘Ole Curmudgeon is being an old curmudgeon today. Again. Still. It has to do with this holiday thingy today. I’ll let TOC fill ya in:

Many people confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day. They are not the same. Veterans Day honors the living. Memorial Day honors those who gave “the last full measure” of devotion in service to our country.

It’s why I cringe when I hear “happy” Memorial Day.

For many families who’ve lost loved ones, Memorial Day isn’t a happy day. Nor is it a day intended to be celebrated in the traditional sense of that word.

If you’re thinking, “I’ve said this, but I didn’t mean to be disrespectful,” then please take a moment to learn why the holiday exists and how you might recognize it.

Originally deemed “Decoration Day” as a way to recognize the soldiers lost during the Civil War, the day gradually expanded to memorialize all those who have given their lives throughout the long history of war in the US. The holiday was officially recognized in 1971. Memorial Day continues to be a distinguished day to remember the military personnel whom we have lost.

For some, the meaning of Memorial Day is deeply personal. It is a day to mourn a dear grandparent, parent, spouse, sibling, child, or friend who died in service to our nation.

So on this solemn day, let’s remember the true meaning of Memorial Day and seek ways to honor our nation’s heroes who died in service to our great nation. Plan a visit to a military cemetery or war memorial. Fly the flag. Attend local activities hosted by local veteran groups. Or simply take a moment to learn more about those who served and why we, as a nation, set aside one day each year to remember those who have given their lives in defense of our freedoms.

“This is the day we pay homage to all those who didn’t come home. This is not Veterans Day, it’s not a celebration, it is a day of solemn contemplation over the cost of freedom.”
-Tamra Bolton

So I’m off to do some contemplatin’. Meanwhile, Mom suggests the following titles on that score (the short list. In no particular order. Both historical fiction and non-fiction):

• The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War (Pulitzer Prize winner) – Michael Shaara.
• To Try Men’s Souls – (U.S. Revolutionary War) – Newt Gingrich, William Forstchen.
• No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden – Mark Owen.
• Pretty much anything by Bruce Catton (U.S. Civil War)
• The Red Badge of Courage – Stephen Crane.
• To Wake the Giant: A Novel of Pearl Harbor – Jeff Shaara
• Fifty-Three Days on Starvation Island: When Uncommon Valor Was a Common Virtue (Guadalcanal, WWII)
• Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of WWII’s Greatest Rescue Mission – Hampton Sides.
• The Women (Viet Nam) – Kristin Hannah. Not Hannah’s best outing in our opinion. But still worthwhile.
• Unknown Valor: A Story of Family, Courage, and Sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima – Martha MacCallum.
• Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany – Stephen E. Ambrose.
• Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption –
  Laura Hillenbrand
• Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany – Donald L. Miller.
• The Forgotten War: America in Korea – Clay Blair, Jr.