A Day for Remembering 3


Memorial Day is a day set aside to remember and honor the fallen men and women who died in the course of war and in service to our country. It is a day to remember who they were in their daily lives, a day to remember their stories, and to continue to keep their memories alive.

If you had a family member or friend who died in one of our wars, from World War I to the more recent fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, what better way to keep their memory alive than to write their stories?

Here are some writing prompts to help you get started. (For convenience, I use the pronoun “he,” but I recognize that many women have lost their lives as well, so if you are writing about a woman, please just substitute “she” for “he.”)

  1. Who was he? What was his name and where did he grow up?
  2. What was his family like?
  3. What was he most famous for among his friends and family?
  4. What do you remember most about him?
  5. If you can, interview his family and close friends. What are their fondest memories?
  6. What were his dreams for the future?
  7. If he were still alive, what do you think he’d be doing now?
  8. What would he say if he knew you were writing his story?
  9. Write a letter from your soldier to you, in which he gives you his life philosophy.
  10. Write a short piece with an anecdote that captures your remembered soldier’s personality and way of being in the world.

Please feel free to honor your fallen soldier by sharing your responses to any of the prompts above in the comments below.

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3 thoughts on “A Day for Remembering

  • patsy ann taylor

    Memorial Day, originally celebrated on November 30th, was first dedicated to remembering the fallen soldiers in the Civil War. It has now come to include any of our family or friends who have died. I prefer to keep the day dedicated to the military. The prompts you suggest are, as always, helpful and thought-provoking.

  • patsy ann taylor

    Memorial Day, originally celebrated on November 30th, was first dedicated to remembering the fallen soldiers in the Civil War. It has now come to include any of our family or friends who have died. I prefer to keep the day dedicated to the military. The prompts you suggest are, as always, helpful and thought-provoking.