Memorial Day Weekend

As Brittany and I drove past the cemetery near our house yesterday we got to see the array of flowers that have been lovingly placed on graves this weekend. It was a visible reminder that this is Memorial Day Weekend (yes, thank you, Ryan, for telling us something we already know).

Here's my point. This holiday has taken on lots of secondary and tertiary meanings over the years. Let's face it, it tends to be looked at as the beginning of summer lake season around here. It is Indianapolis 500 weekend. It's Coca-Cola 600 weekend (though the weather outlook in Charlotte isn't good for today). It's a 3-day weekend we all enjoy. The list goes on...

But in reality the holiday is intended to honor those who have fought in defense of the freedoms we enjoy in the United States - and specifically those who have died defending those freedoms. You can disagree with the politics or even the premise of the wars that have been fought - that's a right afforded to you by those out there on the front lines. Whatever your view is, please remember that the men and women of the US Armed Forces aren't the ones making policy, they're just serving their country and protecting you. Even if you don't like what they've been sent to do, be thankful for their sacrifice - your life would certainly look different if no one did what they're doing.

Loosely related, I ran across an article this morning about what equipment a ground soldier might wear in 2030. It's pretty interesting and looks like something straight out of Star Wars. I actually don't like it. They'll have to at least do better with the color scheme before they put it on Marines. I think what I'm uncomfortable with is that this feels dangerously close to creating a remote control soldier with a person along for the ride. If the day comes where robots fight our battles (think Predator Drones for a current example) that's one thing. But this seems like one step closer to having someone in a remote location dictating the moves of a soldier in the field just like they were playing Halo. If we're going to put a soldier in harms way, don't take away what makes him so dangerous to the enemy - his ability to think, reason, and figure it out on the fly.