In Our Opinion for Sunday — May 30, 2004

• Memorial Day

Memorial Day

Ceremonies today honor Kaua‘i’s veterans who have passed on. The Veterans Cemetery in Hanapepe is the main focus of the Island’s marking of this day of honor, with a ceremony planned followed by a cleaning of the graves by Boy Scouts.

This tradition is typical of those being held across the United States this weekend. The day is also a special one with the dedication of the World War II monument in Washington D.C. on Saturday making it what will surely be at last recognition for the veterans of the Pacific and European theaters of that global war who are day-by-day passing on.

The origins of Memorial Day go back to the post-Civil War era. The effect on the nation of having thousands of its young men dead on both sides of the war some 150 years ago brought about an extended period of mourning. After World War I the holiday became a national holiday, and was originally proclaimed to be held on May 30, rather than the last Monday in May as it now is.

Though Kaua‘i — in our isolation in the middle of the Central Pacific Ocean thousands of miles from Washington — may seem far removed from the events of this weekend on the Mainland, our fallen Armed Forces members have fought in America’s wars and are worthy of our respect and honor. The sacrifices made by Kaua‘i’s servicemen in World War II can clearly be seen in the memorial to the dead of that war located in the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall.

This legacy is also highlighted this year by the war in Iraq, and tomorrow is a day to also remember those who have fallen in the war on terrorism, and to hope for an early end to this conflict in the Middle East.

Hopefully the political rancor over whether we should be fighting in Iraq will fail to overshadow a day when we honor those who gave their lives for our country in all its wars. We need to remember that sons and daughters of Kaua‘i are risking their lives each day in Iraq, and our unqualified support for them is needed.