Remember

This weekend is the unofficial start of summer. Cookouts, and family gatherings are how most will spend the day, but many will make the trip to a cemetery to decorate the grave of a loved one lost in war, and then return home to gather with family.

This is what Memorial Day is about. Memorializing those that gave their lives for their country, and for us.

Think about that for a moment.

Young men and women, barely out of high school, some not even out, joined the armed forces for a greater reason than just something to do. They knew the risk, but they also knew what they were about to fight for was worth far more than their own lives, and they freely gave those lives so that we may have ours.

These men and women have sacrificed themselves since our country was young, and today, they are still falling overseas. The reason is clear, and unchanged.

For those of us fortunate enough to be here today, gathering with family on a warm and sunny day, we need to realize that none of what we have around us would be the same if it were not for those that gave of themselves. They insured that what we had stayed that way, and would not be taken away, and that freedom would remain intact. This is their legacy.

Sometime during the course of the day, look around you at your family, and friends, and lift your up your drink, and whisper to the sky, "thank you".

The thanks are for their sacrifice. Remember, without them, none of what we have today would be here, and liberty would most certainly have been lost.