From the Sarge: Memorial Day weekend, some call it the unofficial kick-off of summer. Some look at it as a 3 day weekend with cookouts, maybe a getaway to the lake, festivals and sales. Its become all of those things, but its also much, much more. Many miss the point of this day entirely. Odd, that our government gave us a day off to remember those that died, odder still that many do not. Memorial Day is a day that originated after the Civil War, to honor those that died on both sides of the conflict. Since then it has evolved and has become a day to honor, memorialize, the memory and sacrifices of our men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, their life. You may have heard the phrase, they wrote a blank check, payable to the United States of America. Many of those checks were cashed with the blood of our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Army Air Corps, (later) the Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard. There are thousands of cemeteries with hundreds of thousands of marble headstones and bronze placards, the final resting place for generations of Americans from all walks of life. Americans, who will never see their families, children, or, even know the joy of having children. They are our sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters and husbands and wives. On the battlefield, there is little distinction as to race, religious beliefs, or political opinions, for they all bled the same color. They all swore an oath to defend all that we hold holy in this great country. They, who fought, and died, in countries, on islands, in cities and towns that many have never heard of. They fought and died, in the air, on land and at sea. Their sacrifice has allowed the rest of us the freedom to celebrate this weekend and every weekend in our own way. They, the countless headstones and grave markers, and those that have yet to be found, have given us all the chance to continue to create a more perfect union. We are all indebted to them, to be paid by continuing to make this the greatest country in the world. Because of them, we have that opportunity. They have all sacrificed to preserve this great nation for future generations. To us, who have seen war up close, they are the real heroes, the ones who didnt come home, and they always will be. Their sacrifice, is their gift to us all. Take a moment to honor them, teach your children the meaning of this day, so that their gift to us will never be in vain. Rick...
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 18:43:20 +0000
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