Many of us made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. Do you think of those men and women? What would you say to such a person?

2017-05-26T22:25:14-04:00

Memorial Day weekend is often a misplaced holiday. Memorial Day has become many things to many people. Memorial Day weekend has become the traditional start of summer, end of the school year, special motor sports event. Then, nearly as an after thought many must be reminded of those that we want to honor on this, the last Monday in May. In Memoriam to our fallen. Please reflect and share.

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made May 26 at 2017 10:30 PM

2017-05-26T22:30:07-04:00

I'll be doing a ceremony with my Cadets at Dartmouth College, and take every opportunity to remember the brothers that I wish were there with me.
Sometime though, I do enjoy a cold one on the day, just as they would want me to do. I hold my kids close, because I want to live the life some of them helped make sure I got to have.
I will be somber in my thanks, but joyful in my remembrance.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 26 at 2017 10:50 PM

2017-05-26T22:50:22-04:00

PVT Mark Brown I will attend a Memorial Day Observance, like I do every year. My father died serving our country, and I lost buddies in Vietnam. I think about them and others throughout the year.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 27 at 2017 2:52 AM

2017-05-27T02:52:09-04:00

I spend Memorial Day working per usual.

My grandfather, First Lieutenant Regis M. Stiffler served in the Army Air Corps and lost his battle with cancer in the 70's. He died before I was born.
I think about him and sometimes and a great grandfather Adrian C. Downing served in the Navy during WWII, not many stories about him though as I understand he spent some time on the USS Missouri. Also died before I was born.
I have a living grandfather, Alan Estep who served in the Air Force during Vietnam and in the Navy Reserves during the Gulf War. I know he lost brothers.
My side of the family came to America in 1632 and served in every conflict since the Seven Years War.
Now my brother and I serve in our own way.

Memorial Day is a day to remember the Fallen. That said I don't blame Civilians for not understandings and I don't shame them for having a party. I want them to live and enjoy their freedom. I do want them to remember there's a cost, but I don't want them to stop having fun.

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made May 27 at 2017 4:33 AM

2017-05-27T04:33:22-04:00

As Chairman of the Memorial Day Committee in Millis, MA, My time has been spent in preparation for Memorial Day and also acting as Master of Ceremonies for our Memorial day activities Memorial Day to Me is about honoring those that died in the service our our country and it always has been. Prior to our parade each year We have a free breakfast for Veteran's of the Armed Forces. One the parade route We pay honors at the Cemetery, where two Medal of Honor recipients are among those buried there. The next stop at the Veteran's Memorial Building, ( our Town Office building) which in front has the WWII Koreans War, Viet Nam, and new Memorial to the Persian Gulf War, Panama and Grenada, the last and third stop is the Memorial to WWI, Spanish American War, Civil War, Revolutionary War and the French and Indian War. That last stop in in front of the American Legion Post 208, where I serve and have served as Commander for 6 terms. The members of American Legion, Post 208, AMVETS post 495 and the Military. Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 1551 Here in Millis all take part in these ceremonies. The weekend is also spent with both the Boys Scouts and Girls scouts assisting us on placing new flags on every Veteran's grave and i front of the WWI Memorial a display of crosses and star of David Markers in the same placement and number as in the National Cemetery at Flander's Field in Belgium. There had also been programs in the schools in town including being invited into classroom to speak to the students. The Town office building also had a display set up by Town Clerk about the Town Veteran's Memorial. Several intersections in Town also honor individual Veteran's of Millis that died in their Wartime service with memorials to those individuals. All have had fresh wreaths and two US flags placed on them which are displayed all year and replaced each year with new ones. Of the males in My graduating class from Millis High School over 80% of us entered the US Armed Force either as enlisted Men or some alter as Officers and most of those served in Viet Nam. We have a very Patriotic, pro Military town and great support from the people who live here and that included thee school system who every years seeks out the Veteran's to speak at the school and even events where dozens of individual Veteran's sit down to talk with group of Students about their Military service. The schools History Department staff request that every year and they actually teach US History. One Town that actually remembers what it is all about.
The picture below shows the arrangement of Crosses and star of David markers in the same arrangement as Flander's Field, the WWI battlefield Cemetery the building in the background is the American Legion Post.

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made May 27 at 2017 11:58 PM

2017-05-27T23:58:21-04:00

I've been given the honor of being the grand marshall and keynote speaker at our communities Memorial Day parade and ceremony this year, so I've spent quite a bit of time thinking of your and similiar questions the past few weeks. I am aware of relatives who have served in the Revolution, the Civil War, WWII, Vietnam and Iraq. Most survived, but my uncle was killed in WWII and I lost 104 men I had served or trained with during Vietnam. As I reviewed a list of my friends from Vietnam, I realized their memories are never far from my mind. I have received calls from sons and daughters who were infants and toddlers when their fathers died, asking me for my memories of what their father did in his last days, what kind of life he lived and what kind of man and friend he was. You can never forget. As I thought of them in preparation for Monday, I actually thought about what meeting with them would be like today. I realized then that they were mostly young men that loved life. We partied, worked and worried together and lived a life together that many people never have the opportunity to experience. That will be the core of my speech Monday. I don't imagine our reunion today would be much different from when they were alive. We would relive those old experiences, catch up on what is new, eat a hamburger and open a cold one, happy that we weren't drinking warm PBR from rusty cans as we did before they died.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 28 at 2017 12:30 PM

2017-05-28T12:30:43-04:00

I tell them "Thanks Brother" every time I think of them.

Response by SFC Everett Oliver made May 28 at 2017 1:50 PM

2017-05-28T13:50:27-04:00

I would say to anyone asking this that they will never be forgotten and invite them to any one of the three Memorial Day Ceremonies that are hosted by my American Legion Post. Or to spend the day in our little village and see how many times they hear Taps played on the hour from dawn to dusk....

Response by PVT Raymond Lopez made Jun 2 at 2017 9:53 AM

2017-06-02T09:53:11-04:00

Many of us made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. Do you think of those men and women? What would you say to such a person? I live very close to Washington so I do not wait until Memorial Day to visit the Vietnam Memorial so my service dog and I go there and talk to my friends who did not make it home and tell them what is happening with us.