Memorial Day

"Happy Memorial Day!" will be a staple greeting this coming Monday.

The day is meant to "commemorate the men and women who died while in the military service. Family members, readers, friends, and neighbors who are veterans have reminded well-wishers of the fact that the day is meant to honor friends who have fallen.

Does saying the words "Happy Memorial Day!" miss the point?

Wouldn't it be better to ask a veteran or soldier how his or her day is going and listen? Those of us who aren't veterans or members of the armed forces could try empathy, if not learn lessons about leadership, living through hell with comrades, or just learning how to laugh at the absurd.

Veterans and those on active duty have recommended books as look into their perspective. I highly recommend the following:

1). Joker One by Donovan Campbell

Campbell leads a Marine platoon, often driving himself to exhaustion and humility over what his fellow Marine's can do. Of the most memorable moments is when Campbell meets a mourning widow of his team after coming home, only to break down in tears. The deceased soldier was the first in the platoon to lose his life in an attempt to protect Iraqi children from armed insurgents.

Campbell's ability to lead his men, find humor in light of calamity, and maintain his sense of humanity paints a picture of the Marines as much full of force as love.

2) Brave Men by Ernie Pyle

Pyle differs from Campbell in that he fills the role of embedded journalist. It was also written through the lenses of many different armed forces branches during World War II. The difference in scope of technology between sixty-odd years of warfare is astounding. Literally tons of maps are now replaced by GPS.

The stories of soldiers working together remains the same, if the sense of humor is more implicit. Pyle follows COs on patrols where they lead troops on tasks for days with only the precious few hours to keep them marginally sane. He talks to soldiers that are both book smart and life savvy, along with those who have never challenged their minds.

The best thing Pyle does is underline the humanity of those who make up our armed forces, writing in part about the lives soldiers have left back home to deal with job at hand.

3) War by Sebastian Junger

Also an embedded journalist, Junger takes the reader back to the 21st century in Afghanistan. He follows a platoon in the Korengal Valley, taking a refreshingly apolitical viewpoint in his attempt to capture the experience of war from someone fighting it.

In brief, the narrative shows the practicality of soldiers to keep their bodies whole, in shape, and still-living at the end of the day. The maxim, "War is Hell," is true

Despite the brutality of improvised explosives, being outnumbered in a foreign country, and mourning lost comrades, Junger finds a glimpse of brothers-in-arms. He examines the culture that forms when soldiers emerge through hell as a group, referencing military history and psychology.

In the end, Junger bears unsettling witness on how soldiers cooperate and become like family to survive war, yet find quite a bit missing when they come home

I've had the honor of meeting Junger at a bookstore where I once worked. Through his work, he struck me as a dedicated journalist who doesn't let his ego get in the way of the story. My impression didn't prove inaccurate.

All three books humanize soldiers' experiences, which despite being day to day, are unreal to anyone who hasn't lived them. In the midst of chaos, brotherhood, humanity, duty, and at times, faith, fuels action as much as a rush of adrenaline.

This Memorial Day, and throughout the year, I call on people to listen to our veterans, respectfully learn about those who've lost their lives, and lend an ear to current members of the military.

Please feel free to let me know if I've missed any useful books on veterans or

members of the armed forces.