Memorial Day

I haven't had much time to blog lately, but I am going to make the time to type a few words about this holiday. I know that for most people, Memorial Day means a three day weekend of partying and camping and cooking out. But it means a lot more to me, probably because of my recent connections with soldiers who have fought in Iraq, my son-in-law who is a veteran to the Air Force, and the fact that my late father-in-law was an ambulance driver in WWII.

I have never served in the military, having been too young for Viet Nam and too old for more recent conflagrations. But having heard the stories of my two veteran friends and my father-in-law, I acknowledge the profound sacrifices made by those who have served and continue to do so, willingly, in today's volunteer military. I cannot imagine what kind of courage it takes to deal with a call to battle. Heck, honestly, I cannot imagine what it takes to make it through boot camp, from what I've heard about that.

Many thousands of men and women have died so we can enjoy freedom. Many hundreds of thousands more have sacrificed time and money and sweat and tears while doing their duty. I don't see why one cannot pause a few moments to give thanks to those people. In a few minutes, I'll be joining my wife and mother-in-law at the local Memorial Day parade. That's a small "sacrifice" of some time to honor those who have given up a great deal more. Thank you all.

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