On Memorial Day, we remember those who protected our nation with their very lives.  This is not a holiday; rather, it is a day of remembrance.  A time to pay respect and reflect on how valuable our liberty is that others would lay down their lives to protect it.  For those who have served, it is a time to remember comrades in arms who did not come home and in too many cases were lost to those wars many years after they ended.  As Americans we all hold our freedom dear, but none as dear as those who gave their lives to defend our freedom.

This weekend as we engage in picnics and barbeques with our families, take a moment to go to your village or town center.  Find the memorials that take place in many towns each year at this time.  Look at the faces of those in uniform participating in the ceremonies, spot the person dressed just like you but, saluting the flag when your hand is over your heart and finally when the speakers have all said their words, the volley of gunshots is over, and the crowd has dissipated go to the monument and read the names inscribed in the stone for yourself.  Know then that those you saw protected your freedom and those you did not see gave their lives for you and all our freedom.

CWA Local 1103 Executive Board