Why Memorial Day Should be Remembered Every Day

There are some who say we shouldn’t say Happy Memorial Day.

With all the attention things like it being the unofficial start of summer, and the beach crowds and travel, the real reason for Memorial Day can get lost. 

So celebrating Memorial Day can be far from what it has become far too often.

The start of summer and lots of Memorial Day sales.

We all know of course that it’s about honoring and remembering Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the wars we have fought.

According to the Department of Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs, more than one million Americans have died during wars since the Revolutionary War. About half of them in the Civil War and about 400 thousand in World War !!

That is why Memorial Day has always been a day, not to be happy, but to solemnly remember those who have lost their lives in war, a day that is filled with solemn ceremonies and visits to military cemeteries.

Family get-togethers and trips to the beach and picnics at the park are all okay things to do on Memorial Day as long as we remember what the day means.

And when you think about it, maybe a little bit of Memorial Day should be part of every day, with a prayer for being thankful that we live in a country where there are men and women, and their families, who make sacrifices every day to defend us.  

(Photo Getty Images)