The Memorial Day holiday was originally known a Decoration Day and was first enacted to honor Union soldiers of the Civil War.  After World War I, it was expanded to include American casualties of any war or military action.  It is appropriate to fly flags at half-mast until noon time and many mark the day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. Memorial Day used to be held on May 30^th regardless of the day of the week it fell upon, but Congress changed it in 1971 to the last Monday in May.  Many Veterans groups opposed the change.  The VFW issued this statement: “Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day.  No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.”  I think we would all agree that the true meaning of Memorial Day has been lost.

It has become routine to see Memorial Day as merely the beginning of summer and forget the soldiers behind this important holiday.

So, it is up to each of us to educate our children on the importance of Memorial Day and honor the many soldiers who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice.  Soldiers like Private First Class George Benjamin, Jr. who gave his life for his country in the Philippine Islands in 1944.  His Medal Of Honor Citation reads: “He was a radio operator, advancing in the rear of his company as it engaged a well-defended Japanese strong point holding up the progress of the entire battalion.  When a rifle platoon supporting a light tank hesitated in its advance, he voluntarily and with utter disregard for personal safety left his comparatively secure position and ran across bullet-whipped terrain to the tank, waving and shouting to the men of the platoon to follow.  Carrying his bulky radio and armed only with a pistol, he fearlessly penetrated intense machinegun and rifle fire to the enemy position, where he killed 1 of the enemy in a foxhole and moved on to annihilate the crew of a light machinegun.  Heedless of the terrific fire now concentrated on him, he continued to spearhead the assault, killing 2 more of the enemy and exhorting the other men to advance, until he fell mortally wounded.  After being evacuated to an aid station, his first thought was still of the American advance.  Overcoming great pain he called for the battalion operations officer to report the location of enemy weapons and valuable tactical information he had secured in his heroic charge.”

Soldiers like Airman First Class William Pitsenbarger who gave his life in Vietnam in 1966.  His Congressional Medal of Honor Citation reads: “On that date, Airman Pitsenbarger was aboard a rescue helicopter responding to a call for evacuation of casualties incurred in an ongoing firefight between elements of the United States Army's 1st Infantry Division and a sizeable enemy force approximately 35 miles east of Saigon. With complete disregard for personal safety, Airman Pitsenbarger volunteered to ride a hoist more than one hundred feet through the jungle, to the ground.  On the ground, he organized and coordinated rescue efforts, cared for the wounded, prepared casualties for evacuation, and insured that the recovery operation continued in a smooth and orderly fashion.  Through his personal efforts, the evacuation of the wounded was greatly expedited.  As each of the nine casualties evacuated that day was recovered, Airman Pitsenbarger refused evacuation in order to get more wounded soldiers to safety. After several pick-ups, one of the two rescue helicopters involved in the evacuation was struck by heavy enemy ground fire and was forced to leave the scene for an emergency landing. Airman Pitsenbarger stayed behind on the ground to perform medical duties.  Shortly thereafter, the area came under sniper and mortar fire.  During a subsequent attempt to evacuate the site, American forces came under heavy assault by a large Viet Cong force. When the enemy launched the assault, the evacuation was called off and Airman Pitsenbarger took up arms with the besieged infantrymen.  He courageously resisted the enemy, braving intense gunfire to gather and distribute vital ammunition to American defenders.  As the battle raged on, he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to care for the wounded, pull them out of the line of fire, and return fire whenever he could, during which time he was wounded three times.  Despite his wounds, he valiantly fought on, simultaneously treating as many wounded as possible.  In the vicious fighting that followed, the American forces suffered 80 percent casualties as their perimeter was breached, and Airman Pitsenbarger was fatally wounded.  Airman Pitsenbarger exposed himself to almost certain death by staying on the ground, and perished while saving the lives of wounded infantrymen.”

Soldiers like Private First Class Ross McGinnis who gave his life in Baghdad, Iraq in 2006.  His Congressional Medal of Honor Citation reads: “that afternoon his platoon was conducting combat control operations in an effort to reduce and control sectarian violence in the area.  While Private McGinnis was manning the M2 .50-caliber Machine Gun, a fragmentation grenade thrown by an insurgent fell through the gunner's hatch into the vehicle.  Reacting quickly, he yelled "grenade," allowing all four members of his crew to prepare for the grenade's blast.  Then, rather than leaping from the gunner's hatch to safety, Private McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew.  In a selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded, Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.”  He was 20 years old.

So this weekend, take a moment to remember the many brave men and women who sacrificed so much for us.  Their sense of duty and willingness to give their lives should remind all of us that the freedom we enjoy here in America is unique and worth fighting for.  God bless our Soldiers and God bless America.




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