[Heartofsong83]

I really like this article...the last of them (a shopping trip) is the worst of them...

[RadioAstronomer]

I liked the article as as well. Thanks for the post.

[PGalt]

Thanks for posting. BTTT!

[lilylangtree]

Thanks. My flag went up at 5:30 a.m. today in honor of our fallen heroes.

[MetalHeadConservative35]

its not about steak or sale....

tell that to my immigrant bosses....

[lightman]

The Church I attend in rural PA had a Communion service this morning. Three of the teenagers led the procession, carrying the cross and the US and Christian flags. At the end of the service they led us out to the cemetery just beyond the church walls where some Civil War veterans are buried. The final prayers were said there. Those kids know that the day is for something other than a trip to the mall.

[T Lady]

Thanks so much for this post. It speaks volumes.

-Regards, T.

[SamAdams76]

It all sounds well and good to come here and agree with this artcle. Indeed, it would be stylish to come here and cluck our tongues at those who had the nerve to turn this three-day weekend into a funfest. But who among us did not barbeque this weekend or indulge in some other recreational activity? Which of us can honestly say that we devoted this weekend to reflect upon the sacrifices of our soldiers? I'm not talking about visiting the cemetery to plant a flag on a dead uncles grave while in between visits to Home Depot and the package store. I'm not talking about going to a Memorial Day parade with all the pomp and circumstance and cotton candy with this little helium balloons that invariably get let go of and float off into the sky. I'm talking about people who devoted the entire holiday to reflection and remembrance of our war dead. Who can say that honestly?

Whose idea was it to make Memorial Day always on a Monday so as to ensure a three-day weekend at the end of the month? Who decided to have the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend? Who decided to make today the day of the Lacrosse National Championship? Who? Who? Who is out in their backyards right this minute mixing margaritas and slathering barbeque sauce on a rack of ribs while listining to the baseball game? Who's doing that? Who went fishing this weekend? Who is out golfing? Who is sitting out on the internet right now typing a bunch of nonsense on some bulletin board?

[UB355]

Where I live, Elm Grove WI we just finished watching an hour and one half parade. There were a number of military honor guards and vets. The parade watchers stood up and applauded each vet and current military member as they passed by.

I am estimating this parade route is 2 1/2 to 3 miles long. A tradition in this community since the late 1940s

[Vote 4 Nixon]

A three day weekend... Yeah right.

[LoudRepublicangirl]

I personally believe Memorial Day sales are tacky-I won't shop or grill on Memorial Day. I like to really spend the day thinking about what I do on a day to day basis that I would not be able to do had there not been men and women who were willing to lay down their lives for my freedom. My brother is currently in Ranger training and I am thinking about him and the difficult days ahead he is facing as he is putting himself through grueling training to better serve our country.

[nicko]

good work...participated in a VFW ceremony yesterday evening for one of our comrades who passed last fall- a WWII vet..today managed to cut the grass before it rained again, and set out the flag...this evening, if the weather holds, I'll sit in the arbor as twilight decends, drink a cold one, and remember...but for the grace of God, go I...

here's a piece I did last year...I like to break it out every once in a while...

Evening in Arlington
(Last line from Taps)

as the last note waifs away,
and the wind dies down,
there is one solemn moment,
suspended…

and our grief for those gone
becomes a brush
that we pass across our opaque pain,
so we may see them once more,
before they fade forever into the evening mist…

before some sound stirs this field to flight-
still we might remember-
“as we go, this we know, God is near…”

Mark E. Harden