Being from Hawaii, Memorial Day was always considered a somber day with many observances for those who were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. My mom was a very young girl when Pearl Harbor was attacked and those memories lived on through the next generation (me).
Sadly, when I moved away from Hawaii, I participated less and less in those Memorial Day ceremonies and by the time I lived in Atlanta, Memorial Day became the “official start of summer” weekend. Everyone made plans to go boating on the lake, etc. Not much in the way of remembering our heros.
Being married to the military has certainly changed all of that. Military men and women would never forget their friends and fallen soldiers. They are honored on every military post across the nation. And here at Ft. Drum, the surrounding community is very supportive and there are many Memorial Day observances off-base as well. You’d have to live under a rock not to know the true meaning of the day. That’s not to say we don’t enjoy the time off, the BBQs or traveling but it’s good to know that those who made the ulitimate sacrifice will NEVER be forgotten.
I personally know several soldiers, who, because of their willingness to fight for freedom, will never be able to spend the long weekend with their families and friends. So I will take time on Monday to pray for them and all those throughout the years who gave their all for our country. My heart fills with gratitude when I think of them and I say “THANK YOU!!!” for all those brave souls. They will never be forgotten…
Displaced Beachbums 
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation 🙂 Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Autocrat.
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Thanks for the great reminder. I’m linking to your post from my site (hope you don’t mind). I also wrote about the real meaning of this day, and memories of a specific fallen soldier.
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It’s so nice to hear someone else not saying “Yay, it’s Memorial Day weekend, I get an extra day off!” I’m glad some of us still remember the point.
I’m so proud of our American military heroes, both past, present and future!
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[…] and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Patti from Displaced Beach Bums wrote a lovely Memorial Day post about remembering that speaks to the true meaning of the […]
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Very well said. What is the proper way to offer a greeting on Memorial Day? I always feel a little strange saying “Happy Memorial Day.”
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Well written and yes, unfortunately, we do think of this day as just a holiday to have fun.
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