We went to the Memorial Day Celebration today at Flanders Field here in Belgium. There are three U.S. cemeteries in Belgium. Last year we went to the Henri Chappelle cemetery, so this year we wanted to see a new one. As always, the ceremony was incredibly touching. The highlight of the day was when four airplanes did a Missing Man flyover. Four planes fly overhead, and then one plane breaks away in memory of those men whose lives have been lost. I was so moved by it that I started crying! Kyle's favorite part was when 40 Belgian school children sang the Star Spangled Banner. As a point of reference for how amazing it is that the children learned it, imagine your six year old (or even you) learning to six the German National Anthem (of course, in German).
I think I have actually grown more patriotic while away from the United States than while I was living there. Just yesterday we happened to be reminded of so many things we have to be thankful for. We were speaking with an Iranian friend of ours who fled his country more than 20 years ago for political asylum. Because of the way he left, he will never be allowed to enter the country again. In the years since he left, both of his parents have died and he was not able to go to either of their funerals. He often has to hear his child ask him, "Daddy, why are we so alone here (in Belgium)?" He has to explain that they are not alone--that he and his wife have literally hundreds of aunts and uncles and cousins in Iran, but they are not allowed to visit these relatives. Before visiting Nasser, we had lunch with two friends who both have family living in Israel. They were discussing the constant unrest between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Next we went to visit our British friends who are moving to Moscow this summer. Some of the things we talked about were their safety, what things they will even be able to obtain over there and how lucky they are to be living there with lots of money--because otherwise they might not even have consistent heating in their home in the cold Russian winter. After all of our socializing, we went to church where we saw a video about the constant fear North Koreans live in. I can't imagine living every day wondering if you or any of your family members will be taken away to a concentration camp just because of something you might have said or done.
Regardless of what you feel about the U.S. being involved in any wars, I think it is incredibly important to express our thanks and appreciation to those who have fought to keep us free and enabled other parts of the world to remain free also. I can't imagine all of the sacrifices they and their families have had to make in order for us to live the comfortable, safe and secure lives that we do.
Click below to see pictures from our Memorial Day:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=121a73ha.4ru4deya&x=0&y=-ea4wdv
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