It's Memorial Day....for many, the long awaited holiday marking the beginning of summer fun. School is almost out, the weather is getting warmer, summer vacation season is almost here. Everyone is out enjoying their 3-day break from the daily grind. But why do we really celebrate Memorial Day? Have we forgotten?
Memorial means to to commerate, to remember, to preserve the memory of a person or event. For us as a nation, Memorial Day is a time to remember those who fought hard and fought well for our country, and gave their lives in the process. Memorial Day is about remembering the giving.
Traditionally, Memorial Day was a solemn holiday where people flew American flags at half-staff until noon to show their respect, put flowers or flags on the graves of fallen soldiers, and visited war memorials. Today, it is far from that. In order to help remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, a resolution was passed called the "National Moment of Remembrance" asking Americans everywhere to voluntarily observe a moment of rememberance and respect at 3 p.m. local time, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps." Let's take a moment today and remember not only the lives of those who died in defense of this nation, but also the lives of their dads, moms, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters.
For more information about Memorial Day, visit http://www.usmemorialday.org/ .
