As a veteran who nearly paid the ultimate price for my service, I hold no day more sacrosanct than Memorial Day. Not even Independence Day is as important, for without the sacrifice of the fallen in pursuit of our continued freedom, there would be none. No America as we know it today.

As Memorial Day weekend draws near, my mind wanders away from life’s trivial matters to the stories of brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Heroes such as Neil Roberts, Jason Dunham, Lori Piestewa, Thomas Tucker, Pat Tillman, Adam Conboy and even a shipmate of mine, Shane Shields. Their names as well as their selfless sacrifices are forever etched in my mind.

Often times I skip the parades and the crowds and opt instead to visit my local National Cemetery. I walk the rows of headstones adorned with Old Glory and quietly pay my respects to the thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who have gone before me. I draw inspiration from the thought that although there are thousands of veterans at parade rest in that cemetery, it is but one; and there are many, many more like it. I walk on in silence for a while and then depart, counting my blessings.

Populist Presidential hopeful John Edwards has quite a different idea of how Americans should honor veterans this Memorial Day. His presidential campaign is suggesting that the right way to honor our nation’s men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice is to show up at Memorial Day ceremonies -children in tow- carrying antiwar signs and calling for an end to the Iraq war.

All over his website and blog, Edwards and his campaign manager are promoting the event as some sort of family-friendly affair. To be fair, he is calling for praying, sending care packages or volunteering to help an injured vet. But the bulk of his 10 “ideas” on how to show patriotism on Memorial Day concern liberal 60’s antiwar tactics like protests, candlelight vigils and petitions.

Edwards believes that by asking his supporters not to do any protesting on the actual holiday(Monday) that:

1. They won’t. And;
2. Veterans won’t be offended.

In one of his campaign’s more ridiculous blog posts, Edwards’ Campaign Manager David Bonior used the anonymous posts of “a woman whose husband is serving in Iraq” and a “soldier from Fort Riley, KS” to cite the supposed inspirational response to Edwards’ call for protest on Memorial Day. No names, no email addresses, no nothing. How truly dumb do Edwards and Bonior think Americans are?

Speaking for myself, I consider the commingling of these small gestures of good will with 60’s antiwar tactics and labeling it “reclaiming patriotism for America” foul and disgusting. Shame on you John Edwards.

As Steve Robertson, The American Legion’s Director of Legislative Affairs rightly pointed out, the only other group that uses ceremonies meant to honor veterans as a platform to politicize war is the Westboro Baptist Church, founded by Fred Phelps. And their view of the US military is quite clear. Why would John Edwards want to use the same tactics as a group that protests military funerals with signs that say “God Hates Fags!”?

Being the leader of the free world is a heft responsibility. Edwards wants us to believe he is up to the task. He considers Bush’s leadership style to be dangerous. Yet when calling for protests at Memorial Day services on his website, he felt compelled to warn participants to be respectful and not actually protest on Memorial Day. As an educated man, wouldn’t it stand to reason that John Edwards knows the possibility exists that some of his disciples could go a little overboard?

It’s a loaded question for sure.

If the answer is no, he lacks the foresight to be Commander in Chief of the world’s most powerful military, because he can’t see the forest for the trees. If the answer is yes, then he is not a patriot, but a scumbag for encouraging the trashing of a solemn occasion.

In a campaign video, Edwards contorted logic to the breaking point, exclaiming that the President is the one who vetoed funding for military and is the only one blocking the resources they need. He called Iraq a bleeding sore, then admonished his followers to pressure their representatives to “support the troops with a plan to end the war and the funding they need to do it.”

The truth is there is no real consensus in Congress on what to do in Iraq. If there was, then we would have bills sent to the President with veto-proof majorities and that has yet to materialize.

If Iraq is to quote John Edwards “a bleeding sore”, why does he feel the need to salt the wound?

It seems that his liberal sensitivity extends to the poor and downtrodden but not to those veterans who died for their country. What about their families’ wish to have Memorial Day weekend remain about their loved one’s sacrifice and not about taking cheap shots at George Bush?

There’s still plenty of time until Memorial Day. Tell the Edwards campaign what you think of their disgraceful proposal to “honor” our nation’s veterans with antiwar protests.

Author’s Note: Brave Americans such as USMC Lance Corporal Adam C. Conboy continue to give their lives for the citizens of the world who desire to live in freedom instead of having the screws put to them by despotic regimes. Help keep Adam’s legacy of generosity alive by visiting his memorial site and donating much needed supplies to bring some basic comforts to our men and women in the field.

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