There’s a quote out there which captures well my thoughts about Memorial Day. It’s from Senator Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.), who says:

If you are not prepared to take care of the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend this country – who came back wounded in body, wounded in spirit – if you’re not prepared to help those people, then don’t send them to war in the first place.

Memorial Day was, originally, Decoration Day. (For some background on the early origins of the holiday, read The Surprising History of Memorial Day by Ben Railton for Talking Points Memo.) It had as its purpose decorating the graves of dead soldiers.

I appreciate the fact that