Armed Forces Day is Saturday and Memorial Day comes nine days after that. As if current news weren’t enough, those special days remind us that men and women are serving and dying every day in military service. Some come from Harvard. Some work in Harvard. We believe that the town needs to show its appreciation for the risks they take. Their lives will change: if they live through their service, they return as different people from the ones who left families and friends. Many of them will carry scars for the rest of their lives.
Regardless of personal opinions about the right or wrong of military action, there’s no excuse for not honoring the sacrifices these individuals make.
The town’s memorials to veterans from earlier engagements should have flowers blooming in spring and summer. Flowers would also be nice at the flagpole on the Common—the one most visible to residents and passers-by. And if the flag is going to fly at night, the town should illuminate it.
Not everyone likes to fly the flag, but when it’s flown, it should be done correctly. Tattered flags should be replaced; flags flown at night should be illuminated; flags should be brought in during bad weather, unless they are all-weather flags.
