Don't Forget the Real Meaning of Memorial Day!!!

This weekend most of the country will have three days off in celebration of Memorial Day. My problem is... do people even know what they are celebrating anymore? Do they even remember that Memorial Day is meant to be a time of grieving? The purpose of Memorial Day is to honor those who have died in service to this country. As time goes on the true meaning of this somber day gets blurred with each passing generation... but do not worry. I am here to remind you.
On Monday when your fat kid is double fisting ball park hot dogs like he hasn't eaten in years and your spouse is pounding beers like he is a roadie for The Rolling Stones remind them of those who have given the greatest sacrifice. May they never forget those who stormed the beach at Normandy. Tattoo in their brain the image of the men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. And though it is most recent, continue to tell of the men who turned Osama Bin Laden's head into a canoe. You must ensure that our future never, ever forgets those men and women who have dedicated their lives to carry a cross that most of us could not bear.
And though it is not Veterans Day. Be sure to get off your lazy a** and thank those who have served who are still with us. When you are out taking advantage of the holiday sales take two minutes of your time if you see a man or woman wearing their uniform, extend your hand like a man and thank them. Thank them for the sacrifices that they made so that the rest of us are allowed to continue to live free.
During this time I think of man like my father, an eighteen year old kid from Queens N.Y. parachuting over Okinawa half a world away. I remember my good and departed friend Craig B telling of being drafted and a twenty four hour flight to Vietnam to go land down in the "s**t" as he called it and the tragic images that he carried with him to his death bed. I think back with a huge smile on my face as a recall Jim M, a.k.a Pop, a man who literally bled Red, White and Blue. A true American who after serving his country as a Marine in Korea was honorably discharged and went on to work at the Pentagon the next four decades!!! I cannot even fathom the knowledge of what went on behind closed doors that man had to lay down with each night, a knowledge kept from the public to avoid hysteria, a knowledge most of us could not handle knowing.
So I close this post by thanking these men the best way I know how, words. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to choose whatever path I wanted in this free country. I thank them for keeping us safe. And I thank them for the liberty to write this post...