Remember

Memorial day. A three-day weekend, the end of school, the day Trail Ridge Road opens? A good day for a picnic or family party? What is Memorial Day? Have we forgotten?

Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal has an extra today by Peter Collier entitled "America's Honor: The Stories Behind Memorial Day". It is well worth your time; read it here.

Collier says: "Once we knew who and what to honor on Memorial Day: those who had given all their tomorrows, as was said of the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy, for our todays. But in a world saturated with selfhood, where every death is by definition a death in vain, the notion of sacrifice today provokes puzzlement more often than admiration."

The article goes on to tell the stories of a number of the (virtually unknown) winners of the Medal of Honor and other veterans . My favorite is the story of a man who constructed an American flag--in a Vietnamese POW camp.

As you enjoy your three-day weekend, your picnics and parties, take a moment to remember. Remember the hundreds of thousands of men who gave their lives so that you can enjoy yours. Remember and pray for their families. Remember that freedom is not free.