Here's some courtesy guidelines for Memorial Day Weekend.
1. Don't wish me a Happy Memorial Day - there ain't nothing happy about brave men and women dying.
2. Its not a holiday or a sale, its a Day of Remembrance.
3. You want to know the true meaning, visit your local Cemetery or a VA Hospital, not Disneyland or the mall.
4. Don't tell me how great anyone in political power is; tell me about AWSCS Sean "Sully" Sullivan, AWS2 Joseph "Fitz" Fitzmorris, SOCS Kyle Milliken, or my classmate's brother, or I can tell you about Pearl Harbor which set off the American campaign for WWII.
5. Say a prayer, and then raise a glass and thank God for the men and women who are no longer here.
6. Do NOT "thank" a living Veteran for his/her service... they'll get honored on Veterans Day in November!!
This is time to remember that the true price of freedom is paid in the lives that defend it. Honor our brothers and sisters that have given the last full measure to secure our freedoms!!

For those who serve, life can be an endless summer, right up until it's over. There are plenty of National Cemeteries across the States. I encourage all Americans to take an hour or two out of your life and go to one. Find a recent addition, read the name, the dates, see how old that service member was when they gave all for the rights and privileges that many Americans take for granted. Reflect on the loved ones they left behind, the sorrow, the tears shed by the family and friends. Take that person's name home with you and pray for them and their family at your dinner table. Raise a glass in their name.
That is Memorializing these men & women with pride and honor on their Memorial Day.

Cheers,
Steve