EDITORIAL: This Memorial Day

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By THE WASHINGTON TIMES EDITORIAL

Today, we observe a solemn celebration. Memorial Day is for remembering and commemorating the soldiers who have fallen. We are also celebrating those who currently serve our nation. To mark this Memorial Day, we reprint below Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

As in 1863, our nation is at war. We are in a struggle with those who seek to deny our freedom. In this battle, soldiers make the ultimate sacrifice. Americans of all ages, creeds and parties are also in peril from Islamist fanatics and other violent radicals. It seems right to recall that America's struggle is the world's struggle.

In ancient Greece, in a land that gave birth to ideals Americans cherish, the Athenian Pericles asked his fellow citizens to honor the dead:

"I believe that a death such as theirs has been the true measure of a man's worth; it may be the first revelation of his virtues, but is at any rate their final seal. For even those who come short in other ways may justly plead the valor with which they have fought for their country; they have blotted out the evil with the good, and have benefited the state more by their public services than they have injured her by their private actions. None of these men were enervated by wealth or hesitated to resign the pleasures of life; none of them put off the evil day in the hope, natural to poverty, that a man, though poor, may one day become rich.

"But, deeming that the punishment of their enemies was sweeter than any of these things, and that they could fall in no nobler cause, they determined at the hazard of their lives to be honorably avenged, and to leave the rest. They resigned to hope their unknown chance of happiness; but in the face of death they resolved to rely upon themselves alone. And when the moment came, they were minded to resist and suffer, rather than to fly and save their lives; they ran away from the word dishonor, but on the battlefield their feet stood fast, and in an instant, at the height of their fortune, they passed away from the scene, not of their fear, but of their glory."

The ideals of freedom have changed little since they were first defined in ancient Greece. Since the American founding, this country has sought to honor and advance the creed of liberty. The sacrifice made by the defenders of freedom is just as great in Baghdad and Kabul than it was in previous battlefields — Lexington, Gettysburg, the beaches of Normandy and the plains of Marathon. Neither words nor deeds can pay full tribute to those among us who gave — and who are still giving — so much for the cause of freedom.

On Memorial Day, we should celebrate the principles and display the symbols we have cherished since the beginning of the Republic.

• Hoist the red, white and blue. Memorial Day is a time for Americans to proudly display their patriotism. Each flag that is raised today is a testament to our enemies that we will never bow. As our G.I.s once did on the charred peak of Mt. Suribachi, hoist the flag high. Put the flag on the car antenna or the bumper. Hang it from the window or on the porch.

• Applaud American troops loud and clear — whether at a worship service or a street parade. Shower our troops with accolades.

• Take a moment to remember. Say a prayer, hug a loved one, turn on your car's headlights or simply observe a moment of silence.

• Say a heartfelt thank you. Today, Washington will be teeming with veterans. Take a second to shake a veteran's hand, pat one on the back or perhaps buy one of them a cup of coffee (or something stronger). Do not forget those heading back to the battlefield.

• Honor the nation's fallen: The dead should be remembered at their final resting places. Recall who they were, where they fell and why they fought. There are many places to pay that tribute. Visit the silent pathways at Arlington Memorial Cemetery, the Vietnam Memorial, the towering columns at the World War II Memorial and the nameless statues at the Korean War Memorial. There are thousands of markers of sacrifice across this land— from Pearl Harbor to Ground Zero. Also, observe the mostly ignored statues scattered across the city. Perhaps the greatest strategist of the Revolutionary War, Nathanael Greene, sits astride his horse at Stanton Park between Fourth and Sixth Streets NE on Capitol Hill. There is also Gen. George Gordon Meade, standing between Third and Fourth Streets NW. View Commodore John Paul Jones, who stands at Independence Avenue and 17th St. NW.

• Read the stories of the fallen. These can be found on the Internet. The New York Times still maintains its memorial to those who lost their lives on September 11: www.nytimes.com/pages/national/portraits/index.html. The Defense Department keeps an updated list of those who have fallen in the war on terror: www.defendamerica.mil/fallen.html.

• Renew your commitment to the American ideal: Let appeals to liberty resound across the land.

• End the day with a pledge and a promise. Promise never to forget our founding principles. On the Pentagon's Web site, each obituary for those killed on September 11 ends with the words: "We will not forget." Commit to taking not just a single minute of one day, but several moments each day to renew your duty to America. Pledge to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, hand over heart. Promise to bow your head or doff a cap when passing by the weathered markers and newly dug graves at Arlington. Stand still for a few seconds after the last note of the national anthem: Take a few moments before the game starts to remember those in danger while others are at play.

• Finally, the spirit of Memorial Day is kept alive each day that we honor our soldiers, remember our heroes and recognize the value of our democracy. On the 40th anniversary of D-Day, President Reagan addressed veterans at Normandy's Pointe du Hoc:"You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you."