This Memorial Day, remember the young lives cut short

A prominent journalist of the World War II era complained once about the frequent use of the word “boys” when speaking of U.S. troops in the field. After what they’d been through, he said, they were not just a bunch of kids out on an adventure. In fact, the average age of those who died in the Second World War was about 27, and their numbers did include a good many youths. But the term was meant more as an expression of affection and solidarity — “our boys in uniform” — than as a description. It also reflected the poignant truth of their untimely deaths: much too young.

This element of vulnerability, fear and helplessness is hard to express in a Memorial Day speech or remembrance. Nothing can quite convey the devastation of those who knew and loved “the fallen,” a euphemism that ennobles their sacrifice but also fails to capture the awfulness of violent death.