It can be hard to remember, but Memorial Day isn’t about barbeques, picnics, or the start of swimming season. It’s about those who have given their lives serving their country.
By the late 1980s and prior to the 2001 attacks, we really didn’t have many younger people who had, personally, sacrificed their lives in war because the last war we had was Vietnam. (The Gulf War was short.) Today, we are still engaged in the longest war in our nations history, and we haven’t been out of Iraq very long, either. There are many more who have lost their parent, their child, their spouse, their best friend, or someone else important to them to war.
So please, remember that this holiday is about honoring the memory of those who have given their lives, and the families of those brave men and women.
It’s not national barbeque day. So, instead of saying “Have a ‘Happy’ Memorial Day, try “Have a ‘Safe’ Memorial Day.” While most of us, at least, are happy to still have our country and our freedom, no one is happy to have lost a loved one or friend.
