Memorial Day 2008

Most readers of this are saying, wait, wasn't that Monday? The answer is no. Memorial Day is actually May 30, but for convenience is observed on the last Monday of May. To me, it's odd that a day to remember our fallen soldiers is observed when it is "convenient" for us or just to create a three day weekend. But that is a rant for another day and one that someone else has already made much more eloquently than I ever could.

Today, I want to remember fallen soldiers... men and women who volunteered or were drafted into service of this Great Nation and paid the ultimate price for my freedom and yours.

The summer between my eighth and ninth grade school years, I went with a group from my school to Washington D.C. It was May, 1984 and President Reagan was dedicating the Tomb of the Unknowns for the Vietnam War.

We weren't there for the actual dedication ceremony, but the first place we went when we got to D.C. was Arlington National Cemetery. Each of those thousands of perfectly aligned white tombstones represented someone who had served his country for my freedom. In that moment, I "got it." I understood what it meant to be American and it is a feeling I hope I never forget.

My hope is that we never forget those who served and paid the ultimate price for our freedoms. This country may not be perfect, but it is still the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave because of our soldiers. Take a moment today and say a prayer for those who have died in service to our country, their friends and families, and for this country as a whole. But most importantly, never forget.