EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — “Find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground. Mother Earth will swallow you, lay your body down.”
Those song lyrics, from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young so many years ago, always resonate with me this time of year as we head into Memorial Day weekend.
Since the Revolutionary War, about 1.2 million Americans have died in combat or in non-combat related causes connected to military service.
With less than 0.05 percent of Americans serving in the all-volunteer military these days, the duty and responsibility of protecting America and its interests fall on an ever smaller part of the population.
This Memorial Day, it is important to remember the true meaning of the holiday — it is a somber day to remember those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice for love of country.
Duty, honor, service. Those are the words that come to mind.
Sure, for many people, Memorial Day is an extra day off from work and a time to get together with friends and family for a cookout.
But it is also time to think about those who served and what the real meaning of this day is.
I never served, but my father, grandfather and lots of other members of my family have. I also have spent plenty of time around the Army and Air Force in my professional career to understand and appreciate the “culture” of military service. I am proud and honored to call many veterans friends and colleagues.
Here in El Paso, it’s your neighbor, the person in line next to you at the grocery store or in the pew next to you at church, who are living a life of service and are willing to make this type of sacrifice for the country.
Every time I drive down Spur 601 and catch a glimpse of Fort Bliss National Cemetery, I quietly think about folks who have made that choice and are willing to make that sacrifice.
Here are a few events to mark the occasion:
Fort Bliss Memorial Day Ceremony: 9 a.m. Monday, May 27 at Fort Bliss Cemetery
This is usually the biggest and most widely attended Memorial Day ceremony in the El Paso area.
Flags will be placed out at the cemetery starting at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 25 and will be taken down starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 1.
Concordia Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony: 10 a.m. on Monday, May 27 at Concordia Cemetery
Ceremony honors the veterans laid to rest at Concordia, the site of Camp Cordia at Old Fort Bliss. Fort Bliss will provide a vocalist and bugler from the 1st Armed Division Band and Fort Bliss personnel will do the invocation.
NOTE: Dave Burge is a web producer and digital reporter for KTSM.com. He is a veteran journalist who has worked in California, New Mexico and Texas.
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