All week I've seen ads for Memorial Day sales, offers for Memorial Day travel, and posts about what your plans are for the holiday. Where did the meaning get lost?
Memorial Day (originally Decoration Day) was instituted after the Civil War to honor the war dead. After World War I, it was expanded to include the dead from all wars. Your flag is to be flown at half-staff from dawn until noon and then raised for the remainder of the day. There is also a national moment of remembrance at 3 p.m.
It seems we've forgotten who earned for us the freedom for the shopping, the barbecues, and the road trips. We have become complacent and take our precious liberties for granted. The nation has forgotten that it is built with the blood of it's soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. And it is that sacrifice we honor and remember on Memorial Day.
As one who wore the uniform then...a salute to those who wear it now.