To the Editor:
Most people cannot pinpoint their earliest memory. I can. I was three. It was the day my father was killed. A Vietnam veteran and National Guardsman, he had to attend a two-week training session every year. During a low altitude flying drill, his helicopter crashed, instantly killing all four men on board. I would not be telling this story if it wasn't for my recent realization that though this institution recognizes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, it does not recognize Memorial Day in the same fashion. While I do not wish to take away from the celebration of Dr. King, I do ask for a common observance of Memorial Day.
"There are very few people who celebrate [Memorial Day and Veteran's Day] anyway," said Neisha Powells '95, executive committee member of the Afro-American Society, in the Jan. 18 issue of The Dartmouth ("Holiday, one of few recognized"). "I don't see a lot of parties or get togethers .... I don't see many American people in general celebrating those days." She is correct.
Memorial Day is not a day of celebration - it is a day of remembrance, a day to honor those men and women who fought so that we could be here today. The purpose of recognizing the day is to "remember that men and a few women, mostly our age, were asked to do something, and that they did it, and that they died for it," as Brandon Del Pozo wrote ("Memorial Day and King Day," Jan.28).
Memorial Day is not just Americans honoring Americans, but people of all nationalities giving thanks to the soldiers who gave their lives for their country - and for those who remember them today. Every single one of us is in debt to those soldiers. I can write this letter because of what they fought for. We can attend this college because of what they fought for. Even Dr. King could act out against discrimination because of what they fought for. These men and women made a selfless contribution to their country - and for that, in this age of greed and selfishness, we honor them.
My family does not celebrate on Memorial Day. For the past 15 years of my life, my Memorial Day has consisted of a trip to my father's grave. As I stand there looking at his tombstone, I am filled with a deep sense of pride for his selfless contribution to ensuring my freedom and the freedom of generations to come. I only wish this college had the same respect.
KERRI APBLETT '97
