Memorial Day weekend is now regarded as the first days of summer – when summer fun officially begins for millions of Americans as they gather with family and friends to cook out and celebrate.

It is also regarded as some of the biggest days for retail sales outside of the Christmas buying season, with most stores running summer specials to help families herald the coming vacation season.

Most people get a three-day weekend – the first since President’s Day in late February – and use the time for their family’s advantage to take a weekend off from school, work and the many other sources of stress they face weekly.

In all the newspapers, there are stories and pictures about having summer fun and dozens of advertisements announcing Memorial Day sales events.

But finding any mention of the sacrifices made by the men and women of our armed forces is difficult.

Few remember that Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for the brave men and women who have given their lives to protect our freedom.

It is unfortunate that the true American heroes – not the movie actors in the summer blockbusters – are forgotten by the people they died to protect.

Nobody expects the citizens of the country to spend a three-day weekend mourning our war dead, nor even commemorating the fallen warriors of this nation for that entire three-day period.

It would be nice, however, if the citizens of this nation would spend an hour out of this weekend showing their appreciation for the men and women of this nation who have died in battle.

In two local ceremonies, both at 11 a.m. on Monday, Northampton County will conduct a tribute at the Veterans’ Memorial beside the courthouse in Jackson and American Legion Post 102 will host a ceremony honoring the fallen heroes of the Roanoke-Chowan region at No Man’s Land on Main Street in Ahoskie.

Have a great time this weekend celebrating the official beginning of summer – enjoy your cookouts and your boating excursions – but please remember our fallen veterans.

 

The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald