day no. 16,053: but young men think it is

Here Dead Lie We

Here dead lie we because we did not choose

     To live and shame the land from which we sprung.

Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose;

     But young men think it is, and we were young.

-- A. E. Housman - 1859-1936

Life may be short-lived, but the young still imagine it long. So when they freely give up their futures in order to save the short lives of those with longer pasts, at least let the survivors stand in honor of their sacrifice. Not merely appreciating the fact that they gave their lives to save ours, but that they gave that which was precious to them for what we take for granted, that they laid down their greatest treasure for what we daily undervalue. It is easier to live and criticize life than it is to die for the critics back home; and yet, some did, and so we live.