Memorial Day - 2008

Today, we pay our respects to those who have given their lives in our wars. I point this out because so many people confuse the meaning of this day with Veteran's Day, which honors all service men and women. While all veterans deserve respect, those who have died in service to our country deserve a special day just for them.

And what do most Americans do today? They look for sales. They plan barbecues and parties. Very few spend much time really thinking about the meaning of the day.

Things were a bit different in our house when I was growing up. Sure, we still pulled out the grill, but we also took time to think about our fallen brothers and sisters. My father - a true, albeit reluctant, war hero - lost many men under his command in Viet Nam. And he grieved for every one. He lost friends and loved ones, and missed them terribly.

For the past several days, I've thought about this entry. The thing that came back around again and again was that so many of these deaths were unnecessary. I look at what's going on today and I know that we've lost thousands of sons and daughters that didn't need to die. And I grieve for every one.

Moving forward, I'm going to do something that I believe will honor our fallen better than anything else I could do. I'm going to work for peace. Peace for all, peace in our time. How better to honor the sacrifice than to work for a time when such sacrifice is no longer needed.

Today, I hope you'll join me in offering a prayer for the fallen. I hope you'll take at least a few minutes to think about how, working together, we can create a world where warriors aren't needed... where our governments do not fight over resources... where countries actually learn to cooperate to the benefit of all.

To those we have lost, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart. For your courage. For your sacrifice.