This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend in the United States, usually it is the unofficial start to summer vacations, camping trips, cookouts, and fun. Sometimes, though, the meaning of this coming Monday gets lost in the shuffle or twisted to fit something that it isn't. Monday is the day here in America where we remember those who answered the call, went to fight, and never returned.
So, we remember. We remember the Minutemen and Colonial soldiers at Lexington, Concord, Cowpens, Trenton, and Yorktown.
We remember the Americans who defended Washington in 1812.
We remember Billy Yank and Johnny Reb, those brothers who fought on opposite sides of a war over States' rights.
We remember the sailors aboard the USS Maine when she sank in Havana Harbor.
We remember the Rough Riders who rode up Kettle and San Juan hill, but never rode back down.
We remember the Doughboys who went off to Europe to fight the Kaiser in The War To End All Wars, men whose ability to fight was questioned at first–but not for long.
We remember those brave Knights of the Air, who flew flimsy crates against an enemy who was better equipped.
We remember the Americans who died at Pearl Harbor.
We remember the Americans fighting on land, at sea, and in the air to slow down the Japanese steamroller in the Pacific, and, at the same time, taking the fight to the Fascists and National Socialists in Europe for the second time in 25 years.
We remember the men and women who fought "The Forgotten War" in Korea.
We remember the Americans who perished in the tunnels below, rice paddies on the surface, and high in the skies of Vietnam.
We remember, too, those who died fighting the Cold War. While there was little shooting, the dangers were as real as any war.
We remember Beirut, Grenada, and Panama, and the men and women who died doing their duty in those locations.
We remember those who perished in the deserts of Kuwait and Iraq, and in the mountains of Afghanistan.
We also remember those Americans, service members or not, who died in the attacks of September 11, 2001.
For if it weren't for their sacrifice, America would be a far different place.
My American friends, whatever you do this weekend, be safe. And stop to pay respects to all the Americans who remain forever young, knowing they did so to keep America free.
Be good to one another. Thanks for reading, and I bid you Peace.