It seems rather odd to be wished a happy Memorial Day given the purpose of the day. Though my family encompassed a fair number of people who served in the military from the earliest days of our national aspirations, only one that I know of died as a direct result of the service. My late sister's husband was one of the last USN pilots shot down over Viet Nam. Unfortunately, he did not die from that crash but from being shot by the VietCong who came to his wrecked plane. He always carried a non-regulation 45 handgun in his plane and he started shooting at the VC who then shot back. She did finally get his remains back years later and he was interred in his family's church graveyard in Massachusetts. He also had a bridge dedicated in his name when his remains came home.
I introduced my sister to this guy, never really expecting much from their introduction. He was a nice enough guy with a decent sense of Irish humor but he was not very well read or even well educated and my sister went to a well-regarded college after being named a National Merit Scholar. It's hard to say if the marriage would have lasted but because of his death he acquired heretofore unknown saintlike status that never wavered. In her final hours when she was talking to ghosts his name was heard over and over.
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