Memorial Day is often a welcome break; school is finally out, summer is finally here… Well, maybe not so much in Laramie. 

It is a time of good times and good friends, but while you were out walking the dog or firing up the barbecue, did you stop and think of what Memorial Day really is about?

As a combat veteran, my view of Memorial Day is somewhat different. I have lost numerous friends in various conflicts, and I choose not to remember their deaths; but to remember their lives. 

They were fathers, brothers, cherished uncles and best friends. They chose not to take the easy way, but chose instead what was hard. They put themselves in harm’s way, not because they wanted to, but because they were asked to.

This Memorial Day, I was privy to a few ceremonies as I watched a flag raising at the Albany County Courthouse, and another at the Greenhill Cemetery. What I saw humbled me. 

Men and women, some barely able to walk under their own power, gathered together at a monument to celebrate the lives of their fallen comrades. While the mood was somber, there was still a feeling of gratitude and reverence. 

All these people from different nationalities and walks of life came together for a few brief moments of commonality. 

They had all either served or known someone who had, and this made them kin. For those few moments, they were family again.

Memorial Day may be a time of barbecue or parties, but why not make every day Memorial Day? 

Why not choose to remember those who gave the last full measure of devotion every day of the year? Do not let these men and women be forgotten. 

While I understand that many readers do not support the war (as that is their right) that does not mean you do not have to support those who have chosen to serve. 

Celebrate the lives of the lost, cherish the moments spent together and in that way, they are still alive. 

Remember it is never to late to tell a veteran thank you for their service; it is never too late to remember those who have sacrificed everything for our country.

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