作者：Robert O’Neill(羅伯特·奧尼爾)，前美國海軍海豹突擊隊最知名的「擊斃本·拉登的人」。奧尼爾於1996年加入海軍，並作為海豹突擊隊特種兵參與了十幾次行動。在不同的戰場上完成了400次戰鬥任務。
中文翻譯
不要在陣亡將士紀念日跟我說「祝你快樂」。紀念我們在戰鬥中為國家犧牲的勇敢的將士們，這是個與快樂無關的事情。陣亡將士紀念日不是慶典。
陣亡將士紀念日是一個反省，沉思，紀念和感恩的日子。那些愛國者們，他們為保護我們所有人的生命和自由——包括那些已故和將要出生的不同時代的人——而犧牲了自己的生命。我們永遠不再有機會償還對他們的虧欠。
陣亡將士紀念日是紀念那些人，他們寧願為國家獻出生命而不是在國歌奏響時屈膝。但是他們同樣會為國歌中下跪的人的權利而戰鬥和犧牲。
這個假期是時候想起年輕人的生命，那些妻子和丈夫變成了寡婦和鰥夫，成長中失去父母的孩子，還有白髮人送黑髮人的父母。
陣亡將士紀念日是思考從未有過的可能的日子。把自己的國家放在生命之前。沒有這些英雄，美國就不會是美國。
不巧的是，對於許多美國人來說，這個莊嚴的假期的意義不過是個夏日的標誌——意味著燒烤季節的非正式開始，在海邊度假，在棒球場和高爾夫球場消遣時光，遠足和享受戶外活動。所有這些都很棒——我們都很享受它們，這些是美好生活的一部分。
但陣亡將士紀念日不是夏日。這個假日也不是為促進汽車，傢具或衣服的銷售而創造的。
每逢一個陣亡將士紀念日到來，它的意義比夏季的開始深沉得多。從上一個陣亡將士紀念日以來，又過了一年，在那些年輕男女將士們最後安息的場所，新生綠草已經蓋住了他們曾經灑下熱血的土壤。他們在阿富汗，伊拉克，敘利亞和許多美國人很少聽說過的其他遙遠的地方，捍衛我們的國家，並付出年輕的生命。
陸軍軍士戴維·約翰遜(David Johnson)，軍士布萊恩·布萊克(Bryan Black)，一等軍士耶利米·約翰遜(Jeremiah Johnson)和軍士達斯汀·賴特(Dustin Wright)，在尼日的ISIS伏擊事件中喪生。許多美國人甚至問道：「我們在尼日也有部隊？」這些無名的士兵付出了他們的生命來保護你——包括每個正在閱讀這些文字的美國人。
思考一下：數百萬高中生在畢業季走過禮堂講台，獲得畢業證書。大多數人將繼續上大學或工作，但有些人會選擇參軍服兵役，成為新一代美國戰士在全球戰爭和反恐事業中作戰——這場戰爭始於2001年9月11日的恐怖襲擊，美國本土有近3000人喪生。
這些新入職的大多戰士——在9/11事件發生時，他們還沒有出生，或者只是嬰兒——都會在軍旅生活中獲得新家的感覺。但有些人大概不會有這個機會。但願我估計錯誤，但可悲的事實恐怕將是，美國在來年陣亡將士紀念日的死亡人數恐怕將高於今年這個陣亡將士紀念日。
在陣亡將士紀念日，我向在反恐戰爭中並肩作戰過的兄弟姐妹們致敬。我的心與那些失去親人的家庭同在。實際上，我想起了從美國建國戰爭初期開始，那些服役和為美國而戰的人。我的崇敬獻給他們每一個人。
我們很強大，但在戰爭中，我們任何一個人都可以瞬間變成回憶。只要人類社會存在著，戰爭似乎就是這個星球上每個社會的普遍經歷。
我們如何阻止戰爭對生命的無情吞噬？我們如何減少美國在戰爭中的死亡人數和控制其他地方戰爭的死亡人數？我希望我知道答案。但戰線正在繪製和重繪，戰爭和恐怖襲擊一直在繼續。武器殺傷力越來強。炸彈變得越來越高端，全世界每天都有更多的生命喪失，導致更多的死亡，更多的憤怒和更多的戰爭。
有些人對自己的信念非常忠誠，以至於他們會將炸彈綁在身上或者自殺式駕駛飛機撞建築物。他們還在進行斬首這種酷刑。他們把囚犯燒死。我們如何與他們找到共同點？我們是否有必要試圖找到共同點，或者我們乾脆毫不客氣地為了正義痛擊敵人？
我參加了400多場作戰任務，比大多數美國人都經歷了更多的戰爭。我能記住的遠比可以忘記的多。戰爭永遠不會減少。戰爭的蔓延速度比火更快，並且像火一樣，它一旦出現就具有毀滅性。
作為一個美國人，每當我看到美國將士的屍體蓋著國旗被帶回家時，我的心都被深深地刺痛。但是，擴展到作為一個人，在世界各地每一次人類相互殘殺陷入戰爭，我的心都會同樣被刺痛。
在這個陣亡將士紀念日，我呼籲所有的美國人都要記住那些勇敢地為國家服務而犧牲的海軍，陸軍，空軍，海軍陸戰隊員和海岸警衛隊成員以及他們的家人。
我敦促所有美國人加入我的希望和禱告，但願，世界各地的人們有一天會更多地關注人與人之間的相似，而不是分歧。願我們將走進戰爭只是記憶的時代——只是人類過去的一部分，而不是我們的未來。
English
Don』t wish me a happy Memorial Day. There is nothing happy about the loss of the brave men and women of our armed forces who died in combat defending America. Memorial Day is not a celebration.
Memorial Day is a time for reflection, pause, remembrance and thanksgiving for patriots who gave up their own lives to protect the lives and freedom of us all – including the freedom of generations long gone and generations yet unborn. We owe the fallen a debt so enormous that it can never be repaid.
Memorial Day is a time to honor the lives of those who would rather die than take a knee when our national anthem is played. But they will fight and die for the rights of those who kneel.
This holiday is a time to think of young lives cut short, of wives and husbands turned into widows and widowers, of children growing up without a father or mother, of parents burying their children.
Memorial Day is a time to think of might have beens that never were. Of brave Americans who put their country before themselves. Without these heroes, America would not be America.
Unfortunately, for many Americans this solemn holiday might as well be called Summer Day – marking the unofficial start of the season of barbecues, days at the beach, time spent on baseball fields and golf courses, hiking and enjoying the great the outdoors. All those things are great – we all appreciate them and they are some of the best things in life.
But Memorial Day is not Summer Day. Nor was the holiday created as a way to promote sales of cars, furniture or clothes.
Another Memorial Day brings with it a whole lot more than the start of summer. Since last Memorial Day, grass is now growing above the final resting places of many young men and women whose lives were taken too soon while defending our country in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other far-off places many Americans have rarely heard of.
When Army Sgt. La David Johnson, Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright were killed last October in an ISIS ambush in Niger, many Americans asked: We have troops in Niger? These unknown soldiers lost their lives protecting you – every one of you reading these words.
Think about this: Millions of high-school seniors are walking across auditorium stages this season, receiving their diplomas. Most will go on to college or jobs, but some will choose a career of military service, joining the second generation of American warriors fighting in the Global War on Terror – a war that began with the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that took the lives of almost 3,000 people in our homeland.
Most of these new recruits – who were not even born or who were just infants when the 9/11 attacks took place – will make it home just fine. But some will not. I pray that I am wrong, but the sad truth is that the number of American war dead on Memorial Day in 2019 will be higher than it is on this Memorial Day.
On Memorial Day, I salute my brothers and sisters-in-arms who have served beside me in War on Terror. My heart especially goes out to the families of those who did not return home. In fact, I think about all those who served and those who have given their lives fighting for America from our county』s earliest days in the Revolutionary War. They all have my gratitude.
We think we are strong, but in war any of us can be turned into just a memory in an instant. And war seems to have been the universal experience of just about every society on the planet at one time or another, for as long as there have been human societies.
How do we stop the wars resulting in such tragic waste of lives? How do we stop the number of American war dead and war dead in other nations from growing? I wish I knew the answer. But battle lines are being drawn and redrawn, and wars and terrorist attacks just keep going on and on. Weapons are getting bigger. Bombs are becoming smarter and more lives are being lost every day all over the world, leading to more death, more anger and more war.
Some are so loyal to their cause that they strap bombs on their bodies or fly passenger jets into buildings. They conduct beheadings. They set prisoners on fire. How do we find common ground with them? Do we even try to find common ground, or do we finally take the gloves off and start landing punches intended to take our enemy out for good?
I』ve been on over 400 Army combat missions and have seen more war than most Americans. More than I care to remember, but cannot forget. There is never a shortage of war. War spreads faster than fire and like fire it leaves destruction in its wake.
It hurts my heart as an American every time I see another service member』s body being brought home draped in an American flag. But it hurts my heart as a human being with every act of war we are all unleashing against each other around the world.
This Memorial Day, I urge all Americans to remember all the fallen sailors, soldiers, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard members who have so bravely served our country, as well as their families.
And I urge all Americans to join me in the hope and prayer that somehow, someday people around the world will focus more on our similarities than our differences and that we will move closer to a time when war is just a memory – part of our past but not our future.
Robert O’Neill is a Fox News contributor and ex-Navy SEAL best known as 「the man who killed Usama bin Laden.」 O’Neill joined the Navy in 1996 and deployed as a SEAL more than a dozen times, participating in more than 400 combat missions across four different theaters of war.
