A Memorial Day Worth Remembering

Andy Rooney On How Memorial Day Should Be Celebrated

(CBS)  This segment was originally broadcast on May 29, 2005.


The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney.

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Tomorrow is Memorial Day, the day we have set aside to honor by remembering all the Americans who have died fighting for the thing we like the most about our America: the freedom we have to live as we please.

No official day to remember is adequate for something like that. It's too formal. It gets to be just another day on the calendar. No one would know from Memorial Day that Richie M., who was shot through the forehead coming onto Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, wore different color socks on each foot because he thought it brought him good luck.

No one would remember on Memorial Day that Eddie G. had promised to marry Julie W. the day after he got home from the war, but didn’t marry Julie because he never came home from the war. Eddie was shot dead on an un-American desert island, Iwo Jima.

For too many Americans, Memorial Day has become just another day off. There's only so much time any of us can spend remembering those we loved who have died, but the men, boys really, who died in our wars deserve at least a few moments of reflection during which we consider what they did for us.

They died.

We use the phrase "gave their lives," but they didn’t give their lives. Their lives were taken from them.

There is more bravery at war than in peace, and it seems wrong that we have so often saved this virtue to use for our least noble activity - war. The goal of war is to cause death to other people.

Because I was in the Army during World War II, I have more to remember on Memorial Day than most of you. I had good friends who were killed.

Charley Wood wrote poetry in high school. He was killed when his Piper Cub was shot down while he was flying as a spotter for the artillery.

Bob O'Connor went down in flames in his B-17.

Obie Slingerland and I were best friends and co-captains of our high school football team. Obie was killed on the deck of the Saratoga when a bomb that hadn’t dropped exploded as he landed.

I won’t think of them anymore tomorrow, Memorial Day, than I think of them any other day of my life.

Remembering doesn’t do the remembered any good, of course. It's for ourselves, the living. I wish we could dedicate Memorial Day, not to the memory of those who have died at war, but to the idea of saving the lives of the young people who are going to die in the future if we don’t find some new way - some new religion maybe - that takes war out of our lives.

That would be a Memorial Day worth celebrating.

[Virgil-1]

God's word is Truth!Read it!It's called the bible.

[dicinseattle]

Thanks for a very memorable Memorial Day commentary. There is a "new way." In 2000, the nations of the world established the Millennium Development Goals, eight ambitous goals to eliminate extreme poverty and hunger, and improve the health, education, environment, and economic opportunities of people in developing nations, all by 2015. There is, of course, no guarantee that achievement of the MDGs will also eliminate war, but there is abundant evidence that people who see little hope for themselves and abundance elsewhere, harbor grievances that can lead to conflict. I hope you will devote a future commentary to this important effort, lead by the United Nations, that could make war history.

[LPATL]

Mr. Rooney,

I commend you for bringing the conversation back to the level that humanity is determined to overlook, over &over again, PEACE!

I pray that people that profess to hold Christian values review the ACTIONS & WORDS of their Savior. He too preached and lived peace. No need to ask WWJD...

With best regards,
LP in Atlanta

[delejones]

Andy, I have forwarded your commentary to the groups I know in Tucson which are Pro-Peace. And suggested that we DO start a new religion.
Thank you for the meaningful commentary....one of the many, in fact!
Del Jones, Tucson, CultureofPeaceAlliance.org

[ocreader]

...as the Brigadere General Crabtree said, "you can tell a "hero" by the direction they run when there's trouble"!!!!! that was said in reference to the media's description of heroes in the sports world!

[bluesky36]

...best words i've ever heard about memorial day.

[noyoaz]

Hi Andy,
My husband and I look forward to your segment each week. The many years you have been actively reporting news brings much insightful experience to your pieces, and for that we are grateful. I am not usually moved to respond to your pieces, until this past week and the segment you aired on May 25, 2009. I cannot help but tell you that, as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, we have taken war out of, not only OUR lives, but of all those whom WE co-exist with. We will not fight, we will not participate in war. We remain neutral. We will die rather than compromise our standing before our God, Jehovah and His teachings from His Holy Word the Bible @ Exodus 20: 13 "Thou shalt not kill (murder).
Jehovah's Witnesses are over 7 millions strong WORLDWIDE, unitedly doing what God admonishes ALL humans to do, with over 7 million more people worldwide, who are responding to our message of love and peace. We have ourselves learned, and are therefore compelled to do, exactly what you ended your segment with, teaching ourselves and others to "learn war no more" (Isaiah 2:4). We are not a "new religion" nor are we popular for our stand. However one cannot preach and teach of no more war, without living it, and thereby not participating in war of any sort... worldwide. We teach and preach what Jesus did, to LOVE your neighbor, (Mark 12:31) to TEACH peace (Matt 5:44), and to PREACH the Kingdom of God ( Matt 24:14). That Kingdom (Government) alone will for once and for all time bring relief to mankinds suffering and remove the ravages of war and other atrocities that mankind suffers from (Rev 21: 3&4). No matter what you choose to do with this information, I felt highly compelled to respond to your piece, in order that you KNOW FOR A FACT that what YOU wished for, for all those who have given up there lives in death to war, will NOT be forgotten, God never forgets! There is already in place a worldwide organization successfully endeavoring to do God's will in learning war no more and practicing peace throughout the earth. May you find comfort in this, and I hope that you read the Scriptures sighted above from your own copy of the Bible, in order to prove to yourself that living the teachings from God's word, enhance our lives as Jehovah's Witnesses, and also the lives of ALL those around us.
I am so happy to be able to share this "Good News" with you!
Warm regards
N. Youngblood
One of Jehovah's Witnesses

[ZBelcher]

Dear Mr. Rooney:

I am responding to your commentary of May 25th. For centuries, religion has been the back bone of all wars that has caused the loss of many lives. With this in mind, I'd like you to consider this question. If religion is supposed to be about love and peace, why do wars exist? One reason is because religion is not living up to the standards as set according to the Bible. This standard is found at Isaiah 2:4 which states in part that "nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore." This scripture, along with the other scriptural points below, have been dismissed by the religions of the world and, therefore, they are not identified as a true religion.

Teachings are based on the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16, 17)
Worship Jehovah God and make his name known (Psalm 83:18; Matthew 4:10; John 17:6)
Have a genuine love among its members (John 13:35)
Accept Jesus as the Son of God and mankind's salvation (John 3:36)
Remain separate from all aspects of the world - including neutrality in political affairs (John 18:36)
Preach about God's Kingdom - the means He will use to end wars (Matthew 24:14)

In short, a "new religion" is not necessary because the one that will "take war out of our lives" already exists.

Z. Belcher
One of Jehovah's Witnesses

[sarcastical]

Where our voters are at fault is that
Ronald Reagan was voted for,,
Wanting an actor as a president.
Reagan be an ACTOR, not an experienced politician.
The same be proven with Calfiornia politics.
Andy would do better in voth cases.

[sarcastical]

(but) "war out of our lives" would have to be considered of debating against union workers for the manufacturing unions for aircraft, ammunition, uniforms, etc.
As there are special interest workers & organizations, (of our USA side) that support in having wars.
Or else they not have income/occupations.