Even though you will not, I encourage you on this Memorial Day to reflect upon the deeds and memories of those, both civilian and military, that have given all in service to the United States. It’s more than just a four day weekend, you know. Remember your relative who came ashore at Utah Beach scared out of his wits but resolved to stick a knife in Hitler’s neck. Remember the passengers from United Flight 93 who took voluntarily gave up their lives to spare the White House or the US Capitol from destruction.
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. Shortly after the end of the Civil War on April 25, 1866, a women’s service organization in Columbus, Mississippi, decorated the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers in an effort to find a way past the bloodshed and destruction the war brought.
Then Lyndon B. Johnson, that four flushing son of a bitch from Texas, recognized and summarily declared Waterloo, New York, as the “birthplace of Memorial Day” because their ceremony to remember the dead from war on May 5, 1866, was formal and more organized.
Either way, fulfill your obligation and pay homage in some small way to the folks who paid our tabs. We are free to enjoy the things we have because of their sacrifice.
Have a nice weekend, pinheads.