On Memorial Day, I think about the people in my family who  served and died in war.  As I listen to the birds singing outside my window and see the flowers growing in my yard, I remember them and what they fought and died for.

One was my cousin who served in the Army during Vietnam. I can barely remember him, but I thought he resembled a Beach Boy.   I was six-years-old at the time.

He was 18 when he died. He had just graduated from high school and married his girlfriend before he left for Saigon. She didn’t know it then, but she was pregnant.

Four months later, the tank he and two other young men were riding in was blown to smithereens when it ran over a mine. He died instantly. His little boy was born five months later.

I think of him. Sometimes. I found his name on the Vietnam Wall in Washington 40 years after his death. 

I am not a veteran. But I come from a long line of them. My father served in the United States Air Force from 1956 until 1960. He was stationed in Korea. My grandfather was a Marine and took friendly fire in the posterior in Okinawa Japan. I had two uncles who served and survived Vietnam. I have an aunt who served in the USAF as did my brother. I have three uncles who were in the Navy, Marines and Air Force.

Making sense of his death and their brave service, is only possible for me if I think of it as a gift. A sacrifice. Or at least that’s how I try to see it. And while I can never return the favor, I can try to live a “good life” and make the gift worth it. 

As I ponder the meaning of Memorial Day, to honor those who died in defense of America, I wonder how my cousin and my dearly departed grandfathers and uncles would feel about our democracy today?

I think about our pending elections and former President Donald Trump. There are multiple individuals who agree with Trump about the legitimacy of U.S. elections and his refusal to commit to accepting the results.

This past president, who has demonstrated an unheard of disrespect for military service over the years, has also many times threatened violence if the election does not go his way.

We must demand Republican leaders use their influence to force Donald Trump to renounce these terrible and dangerous threats of violence. They simply don’t belong in a democracy. He must promise to maintain a peaceful and non-violent presence this election season.

We have a duty to those who have died for this country, whom we honor this weekend. They fought in ways we cannot even begin to imagine and died in horrific manners just so we can live in a country free of such despicable behavior and tyranny.

 Who among us does not wish to honor their sacrifice?

Standard reporter JL Jacobs can be contacted at jjacobs@southernstandard.com