What is the meaning of Memorial Day for you?
For many today, it's another one of the holidays for swim parties and cookouts. What happened to Christmas and Easter has also happened to Memorial Day. There are tons of sales taking place over the Memorial Day weekend.
I come from a culture that doesn't honor the war dead like Americans do. During WW2, my maternal grandmother's brother, Manual Pereira, died in the opening weeks of the Pacific front, in Singapore - most probably between 01/01/42 and 02/15/42. He died in a Japanese bombing raid and his body was never found. He was the only member of my family to have died in a war, yet we don't have a special day to remember him like Americans do.
Sometimes, I wonder if the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Singapore could be his...
I feel a certain amount of envy as well as sadness. Envy because, US fallen Armed Forces members have a special day of honor, whereas if I had perished, I would just be worm food remembered by immediate family but not the nation. I feel sad too that my great uncle's sacrifice is kind of glossed over and forgotten.
Memorial Day is rightfully the day to remember the servicemen and servicewomen who died in war. Without blurring their contributions, I would also like to commemorate those who support or supported these troops and three people come to mind.
First on my list is Servant of God, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Although he wasn't a soldier, he contributed immensely to the spiritual well being of Catholic service personnel with his book fulton sheen's wartime prayer book
.
Although this book was written for soldiers during WWII, many Catholic troops in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to rely on it to edify their moral courage.

Father Vincent Capodanno
The second is highly decorated Servant of God, Lt. Fr. Vincent R. Capodanno. Fr. Capodanno was a Navy chaplain and was affectionately known as the Grunt Padre. Fr. Capodanno died a heroic death, during the Vietnam War while giving last rites to fallen soldiers.
His services during the war were highly regarded by the Navy that a navy ship was named after him - the USS Capodanno. Among his decorations are the Medal of Honor, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
If and when Fr. Capodanno becomes a canonized saint, he would be the closest saint in time and space to me. He died in 1967 about 1000 miles away from my home when I was five years old.

The Battlefield Rosary
The final and definitely not least person I would like to remember today is Karon Adams. She's a Catholic mother of two from Chattanooga, TN who plays a very important ministry for Catholic airmen, soldiers and sailors.
Karon makes and sends rosaries like the one you see on the left. They are called Battlefield Rosaries and she sends them to Catholic service personnel throughout the world. These rosaries come with a yellow ribbon, so they are called Yellow Ribbon Rosaries. They are light weight, plastic rosaries with a matt finish, so they are battlefield friendly.
Karon depends on donations to create these rosaries and mail them. She was kind enough to send me a personal Battlefield Rosary without the yellow ribbon as I'm back home, although these are reserved for currently serving members of the Armed Forces.
These rosaries are an immense morale booster and spiritual aid for service personnel. Merely having a rosary reminds them that there are people back home who remember them and care for them. Praying the rosary frequently also helps them be grounded in God's commands and fight battles ethically. The donation for a Yellow Ribbon Rosary is about the cost of a trip to Starbucks. You can donate here - Battlefield Rosaries.
Recall the words of Lt. Cdr. JoAnn Galloway, in a Few Good Men - They stand on a wall and say, "Nothins gonna hurt you tonight" - and offer up a prayer for all the souls of service personnel in purgatory...
Happy Memorial Day.