by Catherine Parker

Created on: May 16, 2010   Last Updated: May 23, 2010

There are many people to remember each Memorial Day, and many numbers, and many dates. Today's generation remembers September 11, 2001. We remember 2,974 lives lost as our most recent war began. It officially began in 2003, though, and as of December, 2009, we have 4,282 young U.S. soldiers dead. We have parades and speeches to recognize their ultimate sacrifice. There are other numbers we should recognize as well. As of June, 2009, we have 30,182 young soldiers wounded, many of  them  having lost limbs to a degree never matched in any other war. We should remember that they will live a very long time after this war is over. But we tend to forget.

People tend to remember where they were on days like December 7, 1941, or September 11, 2001. As time goes along, we set aside a few moments or hours each Memorial Day to acknowledge what occurred, who was lost, and then we move on. I am just as susceptible to this as anyone. But I have been truly jolted back to that number ,30,000 plus , by one particular young man , Brendan Marrocco,  who exemplifies all of the wounded, and deserves so much more than a “memorial”, a day, a parade. He and those others deserve to be honored, and taken care of, and welcomed among us. Instead so many “disabled” veterans sit in V.A. facilities, struggling to regain their abilities, out of sight, and for most, out of the minds of the rest of us.

Brendan,  then age 22, was featured in news stories recently due to the fact that on Easter Sunday, 2009, he lost all of his limbs in a road bomb in Iraq. Yes, he lost both legs, and both arms, along with injuries to his face, eye, and neck. He is a very determined young man who is making an astounding recovery, and he wants none of our pity. He, and the other physically and emotionally wounded, do deserve our honor, our financial aid to help recovery, and our time. The previous administration was criticized for hiding the arrival home of the dead from our eyes. Where are our 30,000 living returnees? Do we see them?

This Memorial Day, I have the day off from work. I can go to the beach, visit family, work in my garden, eat a delicious meal. I think we could all start the day by Googling Brendan's story at Brendan Marrocco's American Spirit, and later in the day, watch it again. I hope then we can do something to make Memorial Day more meaningful.

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