Growing up I never thought too much about the Memorial Day holiday. Later, when I had a family, it became my favorite holiday, the harbinger of summer fun and relaxation, local town parades where the kids on the Little League baseball and soccer teams were included. It was small-town American fun to watch our kids on the parade route, then meet them at the local park for games and hot dogs.

I had forgotten about the day I found my father’s Bronze Star, awarded to him and most of his unit after the battle of…