Remember 'memorial' part of Memorial Day

Like all of our holidays, Memorial Day has taken on a different meaning than the reason it was created.

Now it is a three-day weekend, time off from work, the start of summer. It's an American tradition that we all take part in and enjoy.

But we ask that you remember on this Memorial Day that we are a country engaged in a war that has taken the lives of nearly 2,500 men and women serving their country. They sacrificed everything, and their families continue to pay.

They and the hundreds of thousands of other Americans who fell in other wars are the reason we have Memorial Day.

There are other days to exercise our freedoms and debate the merits and the course of this war, as we should.

But on this Memorial Day, whether you're at a camp site or in your back yard, we request that you take at least a moment to honor those who have fallen. You can do that simply by pausing at 3 p.m. on Monday for a moment of silence. Or you can attend any of the Memorial Day services mentioned in this paper.

Ask your children if they know what Memorial Day is all about, and if their answer is about swimming, camping or time off to play video games, tell them the real meaning. It's possible you even have someone from your family who has given their life in service of this country. Tell your children about them, and they will have learned a story as great as any they'll find on TV, that some people love their country so much they are willing to die for it.