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A young soldier from the United States Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment — the Old Guard—stands beneath the blistering Arlington sun. His uniform is immaculate. His face unreadable. And on his shoulders: No rank. A silent gesture of respect to the men entombed behind him—unknown, unnamed, but never outranked. Three unknown young men who died in wars to protect the values and ideals the United States was founded upon.
The soldier walks the black mat in solemn rhythm — twenty-one steps, a pause, twenty-one seconds, a turn. Every movement is calibrated. Every count is deliberate. It’s a living tribute to the highest military honor we can render: the twenty-one gun salute. He commands silence and respect with his presence. Each step cuts through the stillness like a metronome of reflection. Reflection not just on the sacrifice, but on the values they died for.
Today, those values feel further and further away. A lack of political leadership, rising corporate greed, and late-stage capitalism have cheapened Memorial Day into an excuse to grill burgers, drink beer, and buy a discounted mattress. Across the country, people will enjoy the long weekend — rightfully using it to catch their breath from the stress of daily life. But in doing so, we risk forgetting what this day is actually for.
Memorial Day was never meant to be a celebration. It was meant to be a day to reflect on and honor not just the lives lost, but on the values and the country they died believing in. It’s a moment for those of us still living to examine our performance as Americans. The men and women who wear the uniform don’t serve politicians. They don’t lay down their lives for corporations. They swear an oath to an idea—a fragile, radical idea called America. An idea that too many people in power today have either forgotten or sold off.
Freedom. Justice. Accountability. Dignity. Democracy. These aren’t partisan ideals. They’re American ones. And they are the very ideals the fallen gave their final breath for.
A Mirror for the People
Memorial Day is an opportunity for us to reflect not only on the dead and their sacrifice, but on ourselves. An opportunity for us to look in the mirror and ask some uncomfortable questions:
Do we vote in every election — or only when it feels urgent?
Do we speak up when power is being abused — or wait for someone else to?
Do we fight for truth — or just amplify outrage?
Do we protect liberty and justice for all — or just those who look like us?
These holidays become a reminder that patriotism becomes performance and not a series of actions for the greater good. Patriotism doesn’t look like flags on trucks, slogans on shirts, or fireworks on the fourth of July. Patriotism is espousing and honoring the values that we are supposed to be reflecting on this weekend.
Citizenship in this country is not passive. Every civilian who lives here inherits a share of the burden that these soldiers carried. Reflection doesn’t just belong to the people though. It belongs to those we elect to lead in our name and too many of them refuse to look.
A Mirror for Our Elected Officials
Our elected officials swear the same oath as our service members — to the Constitution, not to themselves. But unlike the fallen, they seek power. They ask for it. Campaign for it. So their accountability should be even greater than what we ask of our men and women in uniform. Every single day on Capitol Hill and in the white house we are seeing silence in the face of authoritarianism, partisan obstruction over national interest, trading public services for private gain, and ripping away services that keep people alive.
The soldiers who lie in the Tomb of the Unknown asked for nothing. Maybe a hot meal and a paycheck. The elected officials in Congress continuously ask for everything and give nothing. Power, deference, reelection — they do nothing but take from us and hoard wealth and power. This isn’t just about inefficiency or poor leadership it’s a betrayal of the oath that they took. The same oath that countless men and women have died for in order to ensure a better future for us.
What We Owe Them
Our country is at a tipping point. Political and racial violence dominates the headlines almost daily. Democracy is either under threat or completely obliterated depending on the day. And we are at risk for reaching a position where there is no turning back to how things once were. So what do we owe those men and women who sacrificed it all?
We owe it to them to put in the work in espousing the ideals and values that have built this country and made it survive for 250 years. We owe it to them to vote like democracy depends on it. We owe it to them to hold power accountable, even when it’s inconvenient. We owe it to them to protect the most vulnerable members of our population. To speak truth to power even when it costs you something. And we owe it to them to serve our fellow countrymen — not just ourselves.
This Memorial Day we honor the fallen not with words, but by picking up the burden they left behind — and carrying it forward.
Evan Fields is a veteran who writes the News from Underground [ [link removed] ] Substack.

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