Memorial Day Weekend

My thanks to all who have served our country in any capacity, either in a foreign or domestic posting. The service may have been on the land, in the air, at sea, or in a neighborhood. I would especially remember and thank those who have given their all in service to the country.

I have seen the headstones in Arlington National Cemetery, the Post Cemetery @ West Point, New York, the battlefields at Gettysburg, fields in Asia, Europe, and countless other places around the globe where Americans of every, race, creed, color, religion, and ethnic background are together in their final resting place. The places read like history lessons of military battles, events, or accidents, and tragedies where the individual was a participant performing service for our nation.

Please remember that the ultimate purpose of the weekend. To set aside a day out of the year for the nation to remember, reflect and honor those who have served. Take time as you go about your day to honor and remember those who have given so much, paying the ultimate price. Remember those who have fallen and the families and children that are without that member of their family. Remember, these people who gave so that we can have the freedom, liberty and independence each and every day.

All the best on this Memorial Day weekend.

Memorial Day and The National Moment of Rememberance

Today is a special day in America’s culture. For many it is seen as a long three day weekend, to some it is the unofficial start to the summer season, to the fashion conscience this is the day you can begin to wear white shoes again. For others today is the opening of pools, parks, barbeques, and too many school kids the last big push before school ends. However, Memorial Day has a different origin and it wasn’t even an official National holiday until May of 1971. (In preparing the post I learned we can’t really agree on where it started and who did it.) The National Moment of Remembrance was added in 2000. Today is Memorial Day and the time for the National Moment of Remembrance.

To understand the purpose of this day you have to go back in history to when this country was divided not by Red and Blue states but Blue and Gray states. Originally celebrated as Decoration Day, as ordered by, Union General John A. Logan. (General Order No. 11) in 1868, a Blue state resident, paraphrasing his order; a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service and the widow and orphan of the deceased.

As mentioned before there is some disagreement in the historical origin of this day since the female residents of the Gray states have historical proof that without needing official prompting they were already performing such remembrances during and after the “War Between the States.” As usual the Blue states take credit for the work of the Gray. (Look, history is again repeating itself)

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."

The ultimate purpose of the day is to set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.
Please take time as you go about your day to honor and remember those who have given so much, paying the ultimate price. Take time to remember those who have fallen and the families and children that are without that member of their family. Remember, these people who gave so that we can have the freedom, liberty and independence each and every day.

Join me in remembering and honoring them at 3:00 p.m. today!