Some of you might recall that four years ago, I wound up attending the smallest Memorial Day parade I've ever seen here in New Hampshire. It was no longer than five minutes in length and I thought it was one of the best parades I've ever seen.
This year, my girlfriend and I went to the Memorial Day parade here in Manchester--New Hampshire's Queen City. I marched in this parade as a Cub Scout more than thirty years ago and I watched the parade from near the same spot my parents watched me from in the 1970s.
It was a beautiful day and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. We arrived early--and that's because the starting time printed everywhere was an hour early. Once the parade got going, though, it was well worth the wait.
Marching bands, veterans, scouts...even roller girls. They all turned out to march in this parade on a day dedicated to commemorating our honored dead.
They weren't alone, however. Also in the parade were representatives from Veterans for Peace.
At first it appeared that they were just as they claimed--people who had served in our Armed Forces who were advocates for peace. That, however, was not their agenda. What they were really marching for was the opportunity to protest the war in Iraq.
The signs were plain as day: "SUPPORT THE TROOPS - END THE WAR."
When the parade slowed down and took a temporary stop, it just so happened that the Veterans for Peace were directly in front of me and my girlfriend. While she was taking pictures for me (which you can see here in this post in the slide show and photos above), I took the only action I could deem appropriate...
I turned my back on the Veterans for Peace in protest of their actions.
That was not an easy decision for me. I mean, these were people who served this country and I don't take that service lightly. Those men gave something of themselves in the defense of this nation. It was not an easy decision, but it was the best way for me to send my message--and I'm certain they got the message.
I'm all for freedom of speech. I really am. However, Memorial Day is supposed to be a solemn remembrance. It's supposed to honor those who have paid the ultimate price in defending the United States.
It is NOT a day for politics. There are no Republicans and no Democrats in those graves--there are only heroes. I'm all for the Veterans marching in the parade, but they should have left their protest signs at home. There was no place for them in this parade and I was appalled.
Memorial Day isn't about Iraq. It's not about Vietnam or Afghanistan or any other war that people may or may not agree with. It's about our American brothers and sisters who didn't make it back and, at the very least, they deserve a day free of politics because it's our duty to remember their sacrifices. It doesn't matter if they served in the Revolutionary War or at Iwo Jima or in the War on Terror.
The Veterans for Peace were a cancer in that wonderful parade yesterday and they, more than anyone, should know better.
At least they made it back.
William Smith
ConservativeBlogger.com
