Before this upcoming Memorial Day Weekend, we ask you to join us in taking a moment to pause, and reflect upon the true meaning of one of the oldest and most respected holidays in our nation. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those brave men and women who have died in our nation’s service.
We ask you to pause to remember the true cost of freedom and to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our liberties. Throughout the history of the United States those in uniform have answered the call to serve, and so we remember the service and sacrifice of those upon whose very lives rest the foundation of freedom.
All around us are co-workers, neighbors, teammates, family and strangers who have lost a loved one in war. We ALL owe all of our veterans, past and present, a debt of gratitude for the sacrifices they have made out of duty and devotion to America in the defense of our freedom and rights. All veterans fought for something greater than themselves and they have literally changed the world for the better. It is our duty to keep the memory of our fallen veterans alive.
There are many simple things you can do to show gratitude. The simplest is to honor those who made and make freedom possible by being a better American yourself. Say thank you to a veteran, fly a flag, visit a gravesite, or make a donation to your favorite charity.
On Memorial Day, it is the right of every American to relax with friends or family and to celebrate the approach of summer. But on this holiday, it is also the responsibility of every citizen to remember. Remember why it is important that we never forget and why we pay our respects to our service members and the loved ones left behind.
For it has been said so truthfully that “It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives that protester the freedom to abuse and burn that flag.” – Zell Miller.
