Celebrity Deaths Magnify the Silence on Our Nation’s Fallen
January 10, 2021 by Alice Atalanta
Anyone, military or civilian, with connections to the military community, can relate to the feeling. A servicemember tragically passes. We feel the sting of another life lost. We think about the family; envision how their lives were turned upside down in a heartbeat. We imagine the pain of their brothers and sisters in arms; the teammates who will forever look back on that day in resonances of significance intimately personal to only them. Last conversations, lingering memories, layers of meaning. For those of us who have experienced the loss of a servicemember in any capacity, we don’t have to know the soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who passed in order to feel that intimate familiarity with their sacrifice. We know. We know the fallout that awaits. We envision the grief of the newly minted Gold Star Family and think about the children who will have to use their imagination to feel the presence of a missing parent at all of their future life milestones. Above all, we revere the gravity of their final sacrifice.
This is why we try to share the news: to honor them, even if we did not know them, and stand in solidarity with respect for all that they died for. It’s a small, even superficial gesture to share the news on social media. But we still do it. First, we post the breaking news story, and then we wait until the fallen have been named. Then, once their names and photos have been released, we share again. In the online community, those with ties to the military community will voice up to show their respect, and you will see the reactions of those friends. They are thinking about the news, too. They don’t take it lightly.
https://havokjournal.com/culture/celebrity-deaths-magnify-the-silence-on-our-nations-fallen/
