"I also believe the fallen really only ask one thing of us. Just to remember."
This morning dawned fresh and bright. A strange quiet hung over the neighborhood. Slowly, our house started to wake up. Today is Memorial Day. A day of quiet remembrance. It is a day to reflect, to pause, to remember. Tomorrow will be here before we know it - and then it is back to reality once again. How dangerous this world has become. How we will need to continue to send young men and women into harm's way.
It is a strange call that many heed. This call for freedom. How important it is. And how fragile it is. It has been said many times the world is always one generation away from tyranny. We have seen it many times where a country loses control of its government. And then there is trouble. First the citizens become subjugated to the corrupt government, and then the corruption starts to subjugate neighboring nations. Freedom and liberty are then lost. The world then has yet another tinder box, just waiting to explode into a conflagration.
America has never been shy to answer the call for help. It has been said that America is not just a country - it is an idea. An idea which has been shared with the world. America is what freedom and liberty are supposed to look like. And this idea, America, has in the past, is now, and will in the future, willing to share it's sons and daughters. Share them to go to lands far away and fight for freedom. To help people who look different than us, talk different than us. To help them experience the greatest gift of all - freedom.
It has also been said that freedom is not free. Not even close. But there is something about this thing called freedom. How it can be so important, so vital that many young people follow the call to defend it. They have left home, joined the armed forces, and gone into places which were often hot, squalid and very dangerous. And they do so willingly. Sadly, some have died doing so. Died in a foreign country, away from family and home.
It is for these brave souls we dip our flags today. We honor them today. We remember them today. Their sacrifice was not in vain.
For those who want to go to the cabin, on a picnic, or take a walk on a beautiful spring day, please go ahead. I would imagine each and every person who died defending freedom would want us to do that. For we are living the American dream. Our dream. The dream worth fighting for. And yes, sometimes worth dying for.
I also believe the fallen really only ask one thing of us. Just to remember. For a just short while on this three day weekend. Remember them and what they did. What they died for. Our freedom. For freedom is truly not free. And many have paid that cost with the ultimate price.
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