Remember

Is it really Memorial Day weekend?   I double checked the calendar, and it's here, the unofficial start of summer.  The weekend when pools open, families return to summer houses, and when communities gather for parades and ceremonies to honor those who died in military service to our country.

Formerly known as "Decoration Day," Memorial Day began as a ritual of remembrance after the Civil War when families visited graves of dead Union and Confederate soldiers.  The day was eventually extended after World War I  to cover all who died in military service.

Omaha Beach Memorial

We chose to take the kids to Normandy so that they could understand the enormity of the sacrifices made by Americans who fought in World War II and seemingly impossible mission that confronted the Allied soldiers on D-Day. 

It is one thing to learn about D-Day in a social studies or history class.

Tom on Omaha Beach

It is something else entirely to stand on Omaha Beach. 

Cliffs of Normandy

It is one thing to imagine landing on a beach and seeing cliffs to be liberated. 

It is something else entirely to see the cliffs that those soldiers fought to liberate.

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

It is one thing to read that 9,387 Americans are buried in Normandy.

It is something else entirely to walk among those graves and begin to understand the meaning of valor.

So, on this Memorial Day weekend, pause and remember and give thanks for all the service men and women who bravely defend these United States.

The Spirit of America's Youth Rising from the Waves,
Normandy American Memorial
Sculpted by Donald De Lue, Leonardo, NJ