Happy Memorial Day:

Let me give a shout out to those who have ever fought and served in the US military, especially those who are doing so today or those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

For a song that reflects the spirit of the holiday, here is Kansas's Icarus II -- This song is about (and written from the perspective of) the life of a WWII fighter pilot. Written (and copyrighted) by Kerry Livgren. From their 2000 release, Somewhere to Elsewhere. (You can hear the entire Icarus I -- one of the best Kansas songs -- on this really cool site about the Space Shuttle Challenger.)

Icarus II

In the darkness I rise, long before
the dawn
I was dreaming of home and the life I
led
I can hear the sound, of the engines
roar
And I crave the embrace of my
empty bed
Where I'm safe (there I'm safe)

But the call is clear, and the task is
set
And my enemies wait in the dark sky
Do they fear the same fear,
do they dream like us
Do they long for the day when it's
over
And they're safe

We are cruising above the horizon
Neve knowing if we will return
In a moment we'll loose the
destruction
And we'll justify all that we burn

Here the air is cold, but my thoughts
are clear
And so I'm wondering why I must be
here
For the evil that can come,
from the heart of a man
Must be answered in kind 'til it
disappears
And we're safe

Now we're cruising above the horizon
Neve knowing if we will return
In a moment we'll rain down
destruction
And we'll justify all that we burn

Here they come

Dodging all the tracers, sky is full of
lead
I can see the pilots' faces
Safety in our numbers, eagles
overhead
We are in the sight of aces

Flak, bursting all around
Friends, going down in flames

Now we're hit, it's happened
This is what I feared
Something's telling me my time has
come
Though it should be panic, I can feel
a peace
Strangely, now I know my purpose...

Hey boys! Hey, get out while you
can
I'll try to take us home

I'm going home...