“Your silent tents of green. We deck with fragrant flowers; Yours has the suffering been, The memory shall be ours.” –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It’s sad to say, but I think Memorial Day has become more like National Cook Out Day, or Go to the Beach day and many have forgotten about the real reason behind what marks the end of the school year and the start of the summer. It’s more than just another day that the banks are closed. It’s more than having a BBQ or going camping. It is a day set aside to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. It is a day to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation. As people have called me today thanking me for my service, I have reflected on those who were lost. I have a long family history of service members and I know my mom and nannie have been at the cemetery today putting flowers on the graves of those self-less family members. Today my heart has been heavy for the families of Lance Cpl Seth Huston and CWO2 Miles Henderson - both of these you men gave their lives Iraqi war. Seth was just 19 and Miles was a 24 year old newly wed. So, as the day is winding down and so many are coming in from their long weekends and preparing for work, and as kiddos are celebrating the start of summer, I do hope that you took some time to remember the men and women who have given everything for our freedoms and the families that they left behind.

For love of country they accepted death… ~James A. Garfield

There aren’t very many pictures of me in uniform floating around, but for the curious, I found a few scans on my computer.