The sun sparkles off of the water in millions of tiny flash bulbs as if it were a camera attempting to capture the beauty of this day. Cutting through the sea of rippling water and radiant light, boats of all shapes and sizes cross paths in the river, many adorned with a familiar piece of star-filled cloth hanging from poles, lines, and masts. On this warm afternoon, a constant, light breeze kissed by the cool temperature of the water brushes calmingly past the thousands of people who have found similar ways to soak in the beauty of the day.
Today is not just any regular Monday on the calendar – it is a day to pause, to reflect, and to be grateful for where the course of history has brought us. On this afternoon, our military’s aircraft – helicopters and other planes in our Navy’s fleet – have controlled the airspace above the Hudson River. The planes remind us that something is different today. Today, we remember the heroism that has built our nation; we take a break from the current debate to remember where we have been and where we must always be.
Rotating 180 degrees from my current vantage point reveals the splendor of Manhattan’s Financial District, the historic buildings of the Village, and a peak at the Empire State Building. The Freedom tower, with it’s construction cranes booming above, now stands as the tallest structure in lower Manhattan, and what a motivational and resolute sight that is.
Freedom is what we remember today; freedom is what we celebrate. As the former occupant of the grounds upon which the Freedom Tower is being constructed and the numerous monuments throughout the city remind us, freedom is not free. Our founding fathers made the momentous sacrifice to secure freedom between the Atlantic and the Pacific, but the millions of lives lost in the preservation of freedom since the British packed up and sailed back for England remind us of our great duty. The maintenance of freedom is a constant battle on numerous fronts – both at home and abroad, and it is one that will always require sacrifice.
Today, we remember the sacrifice of those who have given everything and those who have been willing to make that same sacrifice on behalf of our great land and our fellow citizens. We reflect upon the greatness that has been erected out of that sacrifice, out of the greatness of our freedom, and from the greatness of people’s minds who through the sacrifice of so many were able to pursue inventions and work that have made our nation the most exceptional in the history of the world.
A feeling of effusive gratitude at a scene like this is innate. The emotion that wells up thinking about the Washington’s ragtag bunch of farmers and novices armed with muskets and small boats who escaped New York under the cover of fog only to ultimately retake the city, free the country, and found this nation is motivating. The thoughts of soldiers returning on ships from the European theater after WWII who first returned a continent to freedom and then crossed through these waters, guided by Lady Liberty’s radiant torch, are overwhelming. The memories of the World Trade Center under attack, on fire, and in a heap of rubble after crumbling under the heat of the intense blaze, followed by the events of the past ten years that have been marked by continued heroism and sacrifice by our fellow citizens are humbling. Freedom, in any generation, is certainly not free.
One is left with a combination of intense pride and gratitude on this afternoon. Yet, in order that our gratitude for our nation’s greatest heroes is not hollow and empty, we must renew our pledge to always do our part, however small, to preserve freedom in this great land. Tomorrow, we will get back to the fight; today, we pause to remember just how great we are because we stand upon the shoulders of those who have stood behind the cause of freedom, even to the point of making the ultimate sacrifice.
May the hand of Providence always watch over those who are actively sacrificing on behalf of our freedom!
Happy Memorial Day
