Weekend Roundup...
Memorial Day Weekend.
It's finally here.
Yep, it's staring us RIGHT in the face, and there's NOTHING we can do about it.
Personally, I'm happier than hell.
We NEED this right now.
And we NEED it BAD.
Now I'm certainly NOT talking about needing ALL those freaking SALES at every store under the damn sun. But to be perfectly honest, some of those sales are worth it.
I mean you DO need to "gear-up" for the family get-together/barbecue, right?
And you have to get the kids some sparklers...some flags to wave also, correct?
Which brings me to the REAL reason I like Memorial Day.
It's a WAKE-UP CALL, plain and simple.
It's a day where we MEMORIALIZE those who have sacrificed much for the greater good of every citizen of these United States of America since we became a nation.
We take time to offer our thanks to those in military service, or who have served, and acknowledge their dedication to that flag...that Constitution...that country they chose to defend with honor, dignity, and pride.
But it's so much MORE than just that.
It's a time to pay quiet homage to those that have given the ultimate sacrifice...their LIVES in defense of this nation.
Doesn't matter if they were at Bunker Hill, Yorktown, Shiloh, Gettysburg, San Juan Hill, Belleau Wood, Bastogne, Tarawa, Pork Chop Hill, Khe Sahn, La Drang, Kabul, Baghdad, or hundreds of other locations too numerous to mention.
What DOES matter is they were defending AMERICA and what it stands for. THAT is what is worthy of remembrance.
The Old Guard has been placing flags on EVERY gravestone at Arlington, as they do every year, and as they silently pass the over tens of thousands of markers, you cannot help but be humbled by the personal acts so many of these people did that allowed this country to survive.
And it's with that thought, that we DO take pause and remember ALL those that served,
The brave men and women who fought for democracy, freedom and liberty, as ambassadors of America in whatever country they were sent, deserve our praise...and our thanks.
So, we take one day of our year to do so.
Yet, I would be remiss, if I did NOT mention that all that these people in uniform do FOR the rest of us doesn't merely occur on ONE day, in the manner we remember them.
They are on station every hour of every day of every year, ensuring that OUR freedoms remain intact.
Yet we take ONE day to bow our heads in quiet thanks.
Seems like not much of a fair trade, does it?
We, as American citizens can do more.
We can remember them ALL the time.
We can...and should.
This can also be a day in which we remember all those in the fire departments and law-enforcement, that fight the good fight on our home front.
They serve this nation JUST as well, and with like dedication...and many of THEM have also been in military service.
Memorial Day IS a day to remember...
It's a time to remember who WE are (as a a nation), what WE stand for, and where WE are destined to be.
It's a time to fly the flag proudly, no matter how bad the politics are in the nation.
That tri-colored cloth should mean MORE to any real American than any member of any political party...or city, state. or federal government "civil SERVANT".
It's a rallying cry for remembrance.
Seeing that flag waving on that flagpole and hearing our National Anthem should STILL stir the heart of every man, woman, and child who truly BELIEVES in this country, and what it stands for, as the founding fathers knew.
We are a great nation, made up of people from all walks of life, religions, nationalities and races, and YET...we come together to embrace ONE, UNIFYING PRINCIPLE:
That we ALL answer to a higher authority, and that we are honor-bound, as AMERICANS to uphold those values and rights laid down by our founding documents.
We might ALL not wear a uniform or serve in any military or civil agency, but we ALL have a commitment to this nation as her citizens. It was the PEOPLE, great and small that created this country, and like people fighting for her liberties through it's inception to today. And we are still fighting.
And we shall prevail...this nation shall prevail.
It's Memorial Day...
A time to reflect...to remember...and be proud that so many gave that you might enjoy that next breath of freedom as you greet every day.
To do less is simply not "American".
So, wherever fate finds you this weekend, and whatever company you happen to be in, take a moment to stop...look at OUR flag...YOUR flag, waving proudly in the breeze...and remember.
And, as always...
Stay safe out there, America.