Posted on 05/28/2011 2:07:21 PM PDT by possum john
It is Memorial Day weekend already, marking the unofficial start of summer. The school year is ending, and families are getting ready to begin their annual summer vacations. In the fun of welcoming summer back into our lives, we have to be careful to not forget the “Memorial” part of this holiday.
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. It began when ladies in the South started decorating the graves of dead soldiers prior to the end of the Civil War. The first official observance was on May 30th, 1868 when flowers were placed on soldiers graves at Arlington National Cemetery.
Memorial Day is officially a time to honor those who have given their lives in service to their country. Since the time of our nation’s birth, we have been blessed with brave and capable young men and women who were willing to dedicate, and if necessary, surrender their lives to protect our freedom.
It has become common in recent years for people to make a point of proclaiming “I support our troops” as a disclaimer during political debates, as though such a proclamation negates any evidence to the contrary. What does it actually mean then, to “support our troops”? To answer that question, it is first necessary to fully understand the overall mission of those troops.
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Tell me about it. I think most people believe the government grants them their rights, and have no clue how dangerous that would be.
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