Memorial Day

Memorial Day. Today is the one day of the year that is specifically set aside for remembering our servicemen and women who gave their lives for our country. These brave men and women should be remembered and thought about. However, there is more to this than just setting aside a moment of silence at 3 pm to think about them. We should remember them all year round. We should consider the servicemen and women who saw their friends/teammates die; the families who lost their father/brother/uncle/son/daughter/sister/niece/mother... in the name of our country's freedom.

Memorial Day is NOT just a day to briefly think, "Oh, yeah, military guys died on this day. Well, time to break out the BBQ!" Memorial Day is NOT the only day on which we lose/have lost heroes who willingly sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Memorial Day is NOT simply the day that begins a summer full of vacations and fun at the beach or the one day of the year that we should remember those brave military personnel.

Memorial Day is the OFFICIAL day of remembrance. Memorial Day is ONE of the 365 days of the year that we should take at least a few minutes to think about the servicemen and women who have died in the cause of freedom. Not just as people in military uniforms, but as PEOPLE who lived, who had families and friends and in many cases, children, who loved them and miss them greatly. People who stood for the principles of their country, whether they agreed with the current President or not.

Consider also the loss suffered by these military men's and women's families. The loved one they can no longer hold onto. Or share with. Or enjoy holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, or other religious holidays with.  Or, in some cases, whose graves they cannot even visit because the military relative died in a foreign country and was tossed into an unmarked grave somewhere to rot.

I beseech all of you to spend more than just a couple of minutes today thinking about all this. But also, and more importantly, think about it throughout the year. Be grateful for these heroes willing to fight for what is right in all wars. And for those of you who have children, instill in them the patriotic sense of duty that President Kennedy described when he said, "Ask NOT what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." We will need more heroes throughout the coming generations who are willing to fight for our country's ideals, even to the point of death. And we need to ALWAYS be grateful for them.