{"id":1320176,"date":"2020-05-24T22:04:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-25T04:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/a-thousand-words-is-worth-more-than-a-picture-on-memorial-day\/"},"modified":"2020-05-24T22:04:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-25T04:04:00","slug":"a-thousand-words-is-worth-more-than-a-picture-on-memorial-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/a-thousand-words-is-worth-more-than-a-picture-on-memorial-day\/","title":{"rendered":"A thousand words is worth more than a picture on Memorial Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"888\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/FredregillColumn-gpi-052520-1024x888.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/FredregillColumn-gpi-052520-1024x888.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/FredregillColumn-gpi-052520-300x260.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/FredregillColumn-gpi-052520-768x666.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/FredregillColumn-gpi-052520-1536x1333.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/FredregillColumn-gpi-052520-2048x1777.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Ike Fredregill<\/strong><br \/><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">For many, Memorial Day is the first three-day weekend of summer, and perhaps, nothing more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Barbecues, camping and honey-do lists are the mainstays of a holiday created to honor the sacrifice of those who fell in service to this great country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">After joining the war effort in 2006 and serving in the U.S. Army, including a combat tour in Iraq, I found myself questioning the sincerity of flipping burgers in the backyard as an homage to the brothers-in-arms who didn\u2019t accompany me home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Before the war, I hadn\u2019t given much thought to the holiday. As a kid, it signified summer break was finally around the corner. As a civilian adult, it meant a reprieve from the 9-to-5 grind, and if not, that coveted overtime pay.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row gspi-donation gspi-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/03\/PI-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/03\/PI-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">I grew up surrounded by veterans: My older brother served during Operation Desert Storm, my father served during Vietnam, my grandfathers all fought in World War II, my cousins, uncles and even my nephews all proudly served; and yet, we were never raised to understand the importance of Memorial Day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">We drove out and put flowers on graves, sure. But no one ever explained to us the importance of it. The act was merely an odd chance to visit the graveyard, which was off limits every other day of the year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">I don\u2019t remember learning the holiday\u2019s importance in school, either. I\u2019ve always had a soft spot for military history, so I remember reading about the United States\u2019 various conflicts. And I have enough faith in our education system to be sure at least one, if not several, teachers told my class about the holiday\u2019s origins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But showing people a picture of ice and telling them its cold does little to teach them the significance of a blizzard or the refreshment of a chilled drink on a hot day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">So it was that my first post-war Memorial Day was a confusing experience to say the least.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">One of my biggest realizations over the years is many people don\u2019t know the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Put simply, during Memorial Day, we honor the dead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On Veterans Day, we honor the living.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The real question is how do we do either?<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">And in truth, if I hadn\u2019t survived, I\u2019d much rather people gathered each year for a feast than cried over my flower-adorned grave. But both are better than forgetting I ever existed or that I sacrificed everything in the name of duty to my country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For each and every veteran, honoring their memory means something different, but the battle-brothers I keep in contact with all agree it is the memory of our lost that is most important.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Researching the veterans in your own families is an easy way anyone can contribute meaningfully to the country\u2019s collective memory of those who fell in battle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Say their names aloud.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Tell your friend, neighbor, son or daughter that you are proud of their service, regardless of your feelings toward war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">If no family member\u2019s military history is available, visit your local war memorials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Three blocks from my house, a concrete infantryman forever salutes the sunrise. He is the cornerstone of a school yard and a grim reminder of the price paid to keep future generations safe. At his base is a list of names: 1,278 servicemen who answered the call to fight the foreign oppressor in the first World War. Of all the names, only seven are marked with stars, indicating those lost in battle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A similar monument can be found in most American cities, towns and villages, memorializing those who served and died in that noble pursuit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pick a name and learn what you can about the person.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Say their name aloud, and tell someone their story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Before social media posts, before newspaper column inches, before monuments, our ancestors honored their history orally.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">I think continuing this tradition, in conjunction with pre-established Memorial Day festivities, is the best way to ensure our country remembers the terrible price paid by the few to ensure freedom for the many.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><span class=\"Body Copy Italic\">Ike Fredregill is an Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veteran, author and journalist, whose works have been published nationwide and featured in Stars and Stripes, the Air Force Times and the Miami Herald.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/opinion\/a-thousand-words-is-worth-more-than-a-picture-on-memorial-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ike Fredregill For many, Memorial Day is the first three-day weekend of summer, and perhaps, nothing more. Barbecues, camping and honey-do lists are the mainstays of a holiday created to honor the sacrifice of those who fell in service to this great country. After joining the war effort in 2006 and serving in the U.S. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1320176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-03 21:23:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1320176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320176\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1320176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1320176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1320176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}