Happy Memorial Day

.....o'er the land of the free.....and the home of the brave

Remember today that we are only able to do the things shown above, and call ourselves free and brave, entirely because somebody -- actually many somebodies -- were willing to do what is illustrated below.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.-- John 15:13

Never forget the sacrifice made by those who are no longer around to enjoy the fruits of their work.
And never forget the reasons they were willing to make the sacrifice.

This is the debt that this nation can truly never repay -- the debt of gratitude.

According to this graphic, military personnel make up less than 1% of the total US population. For their service and their sacrifice this is the 1% we should be honoring the most in this country. And on more days than Memorial Day and in more ways than we do now.

 

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who died in service to their country. The holiday was officially proclaimed in 1868 to honor Union and Confederate soldiers and was expanded after World War I to honor those who died in all wars. Today, Memorial Day honors over one million men and women who have died in military service since the Civil War. This infographic compiles statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Defense to honor our men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Mark Twain once said "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."  Hopefully people remember the wisdom of that quote a bit more when one of the adventures the military is asked to engage on our behalf goes awry.

Maybe spit on a politician or two instead of a soldier (or 535 of them if you can spare the spit).

That's all I ask.

Happy Memorial Day.