As Americans, we have
no more important holiday than Memorial Day, the holiday where we come together
and honor those who gave their lives in service to our country. It's the one
holiday that makes all other holidays possible. For too many of us, Memorial
Day has become just another day off work, or a day for grilling and beaches excursions,
but for some families, it is a day to reflect on loved ones lost.
Memorial Day is personal to me. Several of my family members, to include myself have served over the years. One of them, my father, Sam Alano was an inspiration to me. He was an infantryman and took part driving across North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany culminating in VE Day. He received Purple Hearts for wounds sustained during the Normandy Invasion and Battle of the Bulge.
The story of American sacrifice has continued. From Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and in Afghanistan and Iraq, Americans whose sacrifices allow us to enjoy such a privileged life in a country we all love.
Allow me to provide some historic background as to the meaning of Memorial Day. First and foremost, Memorial Day is the day set aside to remember those men and women who perished while serving in our armed forces. Memorial Day began at the national level, May 30, 1868, as a Decoration Day, with a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to honor fallen Civil War soldiers. Following World War I, Decoration Day became a day of remembrance of all soldiers, sailors, and Marines who died in the service to their nation, not just the Civil War. Following WW II that holiday was re-designated Memorial Day. Since the United States of America’s founding, more then 1.3 million men and women have died in service to our nation.
As President Ronald Reagan so eloquently once said of Memorial Day: “As we honor their memory today, let us pledge that their lives, their sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered for as long as God gives life to this nation.”
These core tenets still provide a call to order for every American on this solemn day of remembrance. This being the case; this Memorial Day, let us pause, in a symbolic act of unity to remember and honor the men and women of the United States of America who have died in the pursuit of freedom and peace.
Memorial Day is personal to me. Several of my family members, to include myself have served over the years. One of them, my father, Sam Alano was an inspiration to me. He was an infantryman and took part driving across North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany culminating in VE Day. He received Purple Hearts for wounds sustained during the Normandy Invasion and Battle of the Bulge.
The story of American sacrifice has continued. From Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and in Afghanistan and Iraq, Americans whose sacrifices allow us to enjoy such a privileged life in a country we all love.
Allow me to provide some historic background as to the meaning of Memorial Day. First and foremost, Memorial Day is the day set aside to remember those men and women who perished while serving in our armed forces. Memorial Day began at the national level, May 30, 1868, as a Decoration Day, with a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to honor fallen Civil War soldiers. Following World War I, Decoration Day became a day of remembrance of all soldiers, sailors, and Marines who died in the service to their nation, not just the Civil War. Following WW II that holiday was re-designated Memorial Day. Since the United States of America’s founding, more then 1.3 million men and women have died in service to our nation.
As President Ronald Reagan so eloquently once said of Memorial Day: “As we honor their memory today, let us pledge that their lives, their sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered for as long as God gives life to this nation.”
These core tenets still provide a call to order for every American on this solemn day of remembrance. This being the case; this Memorial Day, let us pause, in a symbolic act of unity to remember and honor the men and women of the United States of America who have died in the pursuit of freedom and peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment