Memorial Day

That time of year is here where the sky is blue, the flowers are in bloom and the gypsy moths are procreating. My senses have been enjoying a nostalgic jaunt down memory lane. The rays of the sun are tempting my freckles to come out and play. My happy little Hostas with their army of hybrid marigolds catches my eye every time I walk past them; I stop to smell the fragrant chlorophyll. The mixture of freshly shucked corn on the barbecue and splitting hot dogs tickles my palate. As I apply the finest mist of Coppertone, the instant scent brings me back to circa 1980, where days of when I was a little girl frolicking at the beach with sand boots unknowingly turning into a lobster. Summer is here, unofficially.

Officially, today is Memorial Day, a day to remember our war veterans. Instead, most people associate Memorial Day with BBQ parties, Indianapolis 500 and a day off from work. Today is a day that should be spent honoring the unselfish commitment of hundreds of thousand men and women whose lives has been scarified for our country. Our troops are the unsung heroes that are responsible for our freedom.

It is because of those that fought in the American Revolution that we have the Declaration of Independence. It is because of those that fought in the Civil War that slavery was abolished. Without the heroes of the past, we would not have the brave soldiers of today.

With everything that our troops have done for our country, I can relate to them one one personal issue, hearing loss. Troops are being diagnosed at an alarming rate with noise induced hearing loss and tinnitus because inadequate hearing protection. They came back home from a war on terrorism and face a lifetime of a war on communication. This hardly seems fair but who says fair is life. However unfortunate it is, they view it has a small price to pay for our freedom...

Today, I experienced for the first time since I had my cochlear implant, a bugle playing Taps. I got emotional because in a digital sense I was hearing it for the first time, only better. My eyes welled up with tears as I dropped my head to tell the veterans – thank you for serving my country and me.