(S8) - PT 2 - Memorial Day

[Vikain]

Memorial day. What a strange time for a lot of people. A day to remember the fallen heroes but instead most just celebrate the 3 day weekend. Not that its a bad thing but if you look at it from a foreigner standpoint it does come off as a little weird. For the Marmeladov household we like to just chill and enjoy the weather. This year the all time stud Fox North invited all of the Liberty to come hang out at his house and eat all the food that he has. And Marmeladov never turns down free food. It was a fun day riddled with jokes, food, food spills, and playing flag football...you would think for men that play football professionally they would play a different sport on their day off...nope. While it started friendly enough the competitiveness kind of got out of hand and we eventually stopped as a draw before we switched to full tackle. At the end of the day I don't think anyone of us thought about soldiers but we did enjoy our FREEDOM so I guess in a way we treasured what the soldiers that are fighting and have fought for in a different way.

[Bzerkap]

So memorial day really is supposed to be a day of remembrance but in the Akselsen household it has never really been that. It's always just been more of a time to spend with family and friends. Most of the time a movie is in order, and if not a nice walk out in the wilderness is always nice.

Mat has wondered what it would be like to celebrate the day a little more reverently, the way he believes it is meant to be. However, then he catches himself and wonders. Is it worse to attempt to be reverent and remorseful simply because you believe that is how it should be done? Mat ponders this question a lot.

Eventually the decision is yes, it would be worse if he wasn't 100% committed to the ideal. Instead, it's better to celebrate it as you normally would, free to do what you want on a day where you honor the people who helped fight for those freedoms. It's a happy conclusion that Mat is comfortable with, celebrate the day by being as free as possible. It's a way of using the gift they gave us, and something not enough people have, so it shouldn't be taken for granted.

[daBenchwarmer]

casual wtb

[Dawegg]

Memorial day weeked at the Brad Pennington household in San Jose primarily consisted of your standard spring activities such as barbequeing or enjoying the fresh air of California. There's nothing better to Brad Pennington in the spring or summer than a great steak or a rack of spare ribs. San Jose doesn't have that much of a barbeque scene, which was a bit disappointing. Tacos and quesadilas had to suffice for Brad. The fare was okay, but nothing particularly special. Silicon Valley has some of the more "hip" and places with the most "going on", but a lot of that is just talk. However, the real meaning of Memorial Day is not lost upon Brad Pennington. Most people fail to realize that the Pennington family has an initmate connection with the military dating back to the American Revolution. Some of them had died in various conflicts, others survived to carry on the family name. Memorial day is a time for the Penningtons to remember the fallen and those who fought for their nation. Brad didn't choose to enter the military, but he always takes the opportunity to honor the troops. Perhaps during the offseason Brad may undertake an NSFL sponsored tour of the troops overseas.

Word Count: 205

[Youchmeister71]

Memorial day is a special day to me. My dad was a member of the U.S Marines for 25 years, and I grew up through High School with him being deployed, and away from my mom and I. He always told me one thing when it came to days like Memorial and Veterans day. He told me to never treat the service men and women of our fine country as anything more than they are. Not to try and sound rude, but most of these people simply do a job that's different than you and me. We have a pretty special job as football players, but no one comes up to us thanking us for what we do. Simply respect those who have served, but don't make it sappy. As far as what I'll be doing, I'll be waking up early and going to the team facilities for light stretching and recovery before our first game of the season. After that, I'll go and maybe grab a bite to eat with some friends, then head back to the facilities to do my daily run. After that, I'll call my dad, see how he's doing, I'm sure he and my mom have a lot to ask me about my new life.

[ExemplaryChad]

Memorial Day in the Ishigawa household tends to be a more somber affair than it is elsewhere. It’s important to celebrate American troops who have died, but it’s also important to celebrate those who have served in other ways. I don’t mean veterans or laborers, as those have their own holidays as well. With my family, it’s hard to think about remembrance and service without thinking of the Japanese and Japanese-Americans who were put into internment camps during World War II. It was an awful, paranoid, racist policy, and it’s a blight on American history. Still, this country that I’m proud to have (partially) grown up in has come a long way since then. This is why, on Memorial Day, I have separate shrines (to use the term loosely) set up -- one for the Japanese and one for the Americans.

As a loose Taoist, I don’t use many formal prayers or have large, elaborate setups or anything like that. Rather, I simply light some incense, do some meditating, and try and connect with the sense of “oneness” that we all share. It sounds kind of hippy-ish, and I guess it is, but it’s what works best for me. It’s a pretty simple, solemn day.

Haruki Ishigawa

Word count: 204

[Leafer]

[Mongoose87]

Memorial Day was a little odd for William H Harrison. He’s from Canada, and it’s not really a thing there. It exists, it’s just not a thing. Remembrance Day is the thing. It’s on the same day as Veterans’ Day, which isn’t a thing in Canada, in both senses.

Unlike Memorial Day, Remembrance Day isn’t a holiday from work, and it is very solemn. You wear poppies to commemorate the dead buried in Flanders Field. There is a minute of complete silence at 11:00am. Some attend large wreath-laying ceremonies.

So, when Will received an invitation to the New Orleans Second Line Annual Memorial Day BBQ and Jamboree, he was a touch perplexed. But, as they say, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” So, he went to the BBQ (and Jamboree).

When he arrived someone offered him a beer. Not very solemn, but, okay, he accepted it, not wanting to be rude (he’s Canadian, remember). Later developments saw him chow down on a trio of hot dogs, some shrimp gumbo and take his pair to the finals in the cornhole tournament (I still hold that cornhole is the most hillbilly game ever contrived). All in all, a fun day, but not in the least bit what he had expected.

[CDub2]

Well, Cameron Taylor is Canadian, so there's no real association with Memorial Day. He didn't even really understand what it was all about growing up north of the border. That being said, spending 4 years at the University of Michigan allowed Taylor to understand the significance of the holiday. It is important to recognize the sacrifices that people all across the world make in order to maintain the world we live in today. To celebrate Memorial Day, Taylor has started hosting large BBQ gatherings at his house. Recently in Yellowknife, it's been a little tougher to host the cookouts with all the snow. That being said, most of Taylor's teammates are American so they can definitely bring the BBQ skills. Canadian BBQ skills amount to grilling bacon and moose meat seasoned with freshly fallen snow. The sauces, the brisket, the burgers, and ribs can all be handled by the pros. So while the Yellowknife cookouts didn't quite hit the hype level of the University of Michigan celebrations, it was still very worthwhile and a great team building experience. To be honest, the only Americans in Yellowknife are the Wraiths so it was pretty much only them celebrating the Holiday. Canadians don't get the day off or really celebrate the day normally. But Taylor was happy to relax for a day. 221

[mmfootball]

Memorial day is a big day for Colorado Yeti defensive back Michael Tillman. It's not just some other holiday to him, it's an AMERICAN holiday. A very patriotic person at heart, Tillman has much respect for the veterans that protect his country and lets him be able to do what he loves to do... lose games (jk). You can find Tillman at his yearly family reunion in Richmond, Virginia grilling up some hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. He likes the change of scenery from cold Colorado as he did get used to sunny weather while attending Arizona State University. Tillman's family may not be a military family in the sense of the word, but they have always been very proud of their country and their troops. While having fun in the sun, the Tillmans understand that this day is not just for barbeque, sun tans and fun in the pool, but a day that celebrates what makes America great. The sense of freedom givin to us by our troops is something Michael Tillman strives to recreate in his own way. He feels like football isn't doing enough for his countries and thinks what it would be like to be out there in the military surrounded by his brothers in battle. He begins to drift off and think of things after football.....


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