Memorial Day

There are 37,000 American flags in Boston Common right now, stuck into the ground on the side of a hill at the foot of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Each of those flags is planted in the ground in honor of one member of the United States armed forces from Massachusetts who has given their life in the service of their country. It is a powerful thing to see those flags fluttering in the breeze, to see a physical representation of the price at which our freedom has been purchased.

Memorial Day began in 1868 as Decoration Day, the day when those who had lived through the carnage of the Civil War would decorate with flowers and flags the graves of those who had given their lives that the Union would not be torn asunder. As the 19th gave way to the 20th century and America found herself becoming more and more involved in world conflicts, Decoration Day was generalized to be a day of remembrance for all those who had given their lives while serving in the military.

There’s No Crying In Football

The band came thundering out of the tunnel to a steady drum pattern, kick stepping the whole way. The stadium was rowdy as always, subdued only a little by the cold and the lower attendance thanks to the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Under a crystal blue sky on a blustery day in late November, I tried to hold myself together during my final football game as a student at Michigan State University.

It was my final game in the student section, my final game watching this team I had loved for four seasons play at home. A good number of seniors took their final snaps in Spartan Stadium yesterday during a win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers that made this the third season in four years that the Spartans were undefeated at home.