3 day weekend:

When You Go Home
Tell Them Of Us
And Say
"For Your Tomorrow,
We Gave Our Today”

(image via Wikipedia)

 
Memorial day. A day to remember the fallen....Those who fell in the defense of our country, our Constitution, and our freedom.

Set on the last Monday in May, for many (most) people, this is a weekend with an extra day off, with maybe an auto race thrown in. It should be more. It should be a sacred day, a solemn day....A day of thanks.

For many, it is a day to do work in the yard, work on the house, and then grill out, maybe with friends. Hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill....maybe baked beans and potato salad and chips. A few beers and some conversation with the neighbors or guests....

But take a moment, remember the reason for the day. If you have family members who gave the ultimate sacrifice, take a moment to remember them. If their grave is nearby, you might take a few minutes and tidy that gravesite up just a bit...maybe a flag placed there. If you don't, or if you have the time, maybe find a grave that is no longer taken care of and spend a few minutes.

But remember the reason. Remember those who fell in the service of your country:

Remember the Soldier who died in the civil war, a lead ball puncturing him and the slow death on a battlefield....

Remember the Doughboy in WWI who died at the bottom a a muddy trench, cold and wet, a german bullet in his chest.

Think of the man who fell assaulting a sandy beach in WWII, his blood staining the black volcanic sands. Or the man who died after parachuting into France for Operation Overloard, or who died on Gold beach.....Or the boys who perished when their shot up bomber couldn't struggle to stay in the air anymore over the English Channel and fell into the sea despite everything they did to fly home....

The men who froze to death at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea.

The boys who died in a jungle for a war they didn't understand in Vietnam....

The soldier who bled to death when his leg was blown off by an IED in Fallujah.

The Seal who died in the mountains of Afghanistan saving his buddies.

And really, you should remember the man or woman who died because they could not adjust to life anymore due to PTSD. Even if they died after the end of their enlistment.  They too gave all....

Remember them. They died serving their country....and serving you. They defended your way of life. Defended the country which gave you what you have today. Freedom.

If you forget them, you do them a disservice. you devalue their sacrifice...You devalue the gifts that they gave you.

You devalue yourself.

If all this weekend is to you is a three day weekend, and extra day off, then you are not deserving of the gifts they sacrificed to give you.

Remember. 

Enjoy what they gave you.




I will.