I am a child of a military family. A family that is so deeply rooted in serving and fighting that we know no other life than dedicating ourselves to fighting for and protecting others. Death comes for all, it is an inescapable aspect of living. Memorial day is a day to honor the dead who gave all that they could to follow their convictions by serving in war. Some people only include the soldiers who died in battle, honoring them for dieing with honor at the hands of their foes. But I tend to also think about those who were not soldiers but went to the battle fields: the medics, the secretaries, the journalists, the chaplains and other non combatants who still went and gave all they had to ensure we understood the price being paid by those who did fight. I remember those whose wounds didn’t kill them until long after the gunfire ceased. Those who fell trying to cope with the horrors they witnessed. Those who fell to weapons not researched enough before being used, like agent orange. I remember the families who had no idea their child enlisted and went to war, and only found out upon receiving notices about their child’s death. My family has lost someone in nearly all these ways. We carry their memories and love in hopes that no one else suffers their fates. I knew my O’pa, he passed from cancer caused by exposure to agent orange. I didn’t know his best friend who was missing presumed dead in Vietnam but my father carries his name. I knew my great grandmother lost her little brother on his way to fight in D-Day, from a letter she received from the president. No one had any idea he had enlisted and made his way to fight. I’ve heard how alcohol became the crutch of many returning from liberating the Nazi camps until finally it took them away too. I only know what the family oral history and documents tell me. But I swore to never forget and carry on honoring them. I will pass their stories down through my line in hopes that the atrocities that took these lives are never seen again. But should my descendants see such wars I hope the memories of those who went before them gives them courage, peace, and understanding of where the path before them leads.