A three day weekend! The (unofficial) start of Summer! It is so easy to forget what this Monday’s holiday asks us to remember. So for anyone looking to pause and reflect during this time of remembrance, or to help your children understand what Memorial Day is all about, here are some ideas from your library.
Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery. This HBO documentary takes you to the saddest and most sacred acre in America, where loved ones come to grieve and to remember those who died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Honor Flight: One Last Mission. This moving film documents the efforts of volunteers to arrange trips so that surviving veterans of World War Two can visit the WWII Memorial erected in Washington, DC some sixty years after the War.
On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery, by Robert M. Poole. The fascinating history of how what had once been Robert E. Lee’s family plantation was transformed into a hallowed burial ground and remembrance site for a grateful nation.
The Unknowns: The Untold Story of America’s Unknown Soldier and WWI’s Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home, by Patrick K. O’Donnell. The intriguing true story of how a lone representative was chosen from amongst a horrific field of mass casualty for one last act of service, as a focal point a Nation’s grief and gratitude.
The Missing of the Somme, by Geoff Dyer. The popular philosopher and essayist contemplates the significance and usages of memorial sites and ceremonies in how we process loss, revere peace, and possibly justify war.
A Day for Rememberin’: Inspired by the true events of the first Memorial Day, by Leah Henderson. On May 1, 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina, they gathered at the racetrack where Union soldiers, black and white, had been interred, and honored those who gave their lives so that others might be free. This picture book recounts the tale in vivid yet somber illustrations.
Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, by Jeff Gottesfeld. This powerful picture book is a tribute to America’s fallen, and to those who protect and honor their memory, day in and day out.
The Wall, by Eve Bunting. In this sensitively drawn picture book, a boy and his father come from far away to visit the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington and find the name of the boy’s grandfather, who was killed in the conflict.
Be Safe, Love Mom: A Military mom’s stories of courage, comfort and surviving life on the home front, by Elaine Lowry Brye. The mother of four military officers, one in each branch of the service, offers invaluable advice and caring counsel for military families, and insight for all of us who are in their debt.
Guys Like Me: Five wars, five veterans for peace, by Michael Messner. Highlights the seldom heard experiences and expressions of veterans across many wars whose combat experience has sealed their commitment to calling and working for peace.
~ Posted by David W.
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