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Remember the reason for Memorial Day

Do you know what the true meaning of Memorial Day was really for when it was originally set or proclaimed on May 5, 1868? The thought seemed to be to set aside a day to honor the war dead. The true meaning of Memorial Day, however, has been overcome by door-buster sales, backyard cookouts, and the opportunity to get a little extra sleep.

The fallen don't seem to mean much anymore, except perhaps to veterans of previous wars and their families and the nearly 5,000 mothers and fathers of men and women in uniform who have given their all in Iraq. To those parents, please add surviving brothers and sisters, wives, husbands, children, grandchildren, cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, neighbors, and friends. If this fold happens to gather on Memorial Day, most likely it won't be to organize a shop-a-ram or a barbecue. For them, Monday will be a time to remember loved ones who lost their lives serving their country.

The shame is that much of the nation won't be sharing this day of observance with those families.

It shouldn't be this way.

If ever there was a day when the country should call a time-out on fun and self-indulgent distractions and devote some serious time to a solemn observance, it's this Memorial Day. Goodness knows, enough Americans have given their lives to make it possible.

I am proud to belong to this (VFW Auxiliary) organization and be able to help with the Memorial Day service. As well as putting up the flags on the Avenue of Flags and thinking with each flag that is placed on a pole, this was a veteran's coffin who served our country so that we would be able to celebrate our holidays as we would like.

Let us not forget Congress put a "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution (www.remember.gov) on the books in December 2000, in the hope that America would return to the true meaning of Memorial Day.

The resolution asks that in an act of national unity, Americans at 3 p.m. local time "voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps'."

The resolution notwithstanding, on Monday some folks will go on nonchalantly as if there isn't a war on. They'll be so distracted in their pursuit of a good time that they will be oblivious to the fact that some of the country's finest are in Iraq and Afghanistan paying with their lives. And the cruel truth, which the comfortable here at home also will ignore, is that today's troops — slugging it out overseas conveniently out of sight and mind — are bearing a disproportionately heavy load when it comes to heeding the call to service.

Don't forget our troops overseas!

— Jacquie Siemens Ladies Auxiliary Junior Vice President

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