This is the time of the year that we take a moment and pause to remember those who have expended their last breath in the defense of the Constitution of the United States. Traditionally on the 31st of May, it is held on the last Monday of May in order to make the last weekend of the month a three-day holiday.

If the People of the United States would stop right there, and simply remember the fallen, then the rest of this post would be superfluous.

Alas, that is not the case. Stores insist on “Celebrating” Memorial day by holding sales. Restaurants offer discounts for Veterans. Other inappropriate methods of celebration are displayed.

Veteran’s Day, in November, is the day to remember those of us who lived all the way through our enlistments. This weekend, Memorial Day, is to hold those who sacrificed themselves for this Country in our hearts and minds for a time of special remembrance.

Please, this weekend, stop while you are barbequing, or while sharing a time of friendship with others, or while spending time away from home, to thank God for the men and women of the Armed Forces who gave their all.

Blessed are those who have honored the check they wrote to the people, for the amount of “Up To and Including My Life” in the defense of our Constitution.

Please don’t wish me a “Happy Memorial Day!” It’s not a time for gaiety, for parties (although I know America has been conditioned to do just that). It’s a day for remembering those who have given their lives, paid the ultimate price, in order that those of us who are still around might enjoy the freedom of living in this great country.

Save your “Thank you for your service” for Veteran’s day, or any other day, really.

Today, give thanks to those who are no longer around to hear the words. Give thanks for those who gave up the rest of their lives so you could enjoy the rest of yours.

It’s a day of remembrance, so please treat it with the respect it deserves.

On this day, set aside for the remembrance of those who have lost their lives in service to our country, I ask that you join me in a moment of reflection at 3 pm local time wherever you are.

Please, teach your children and any around you why we have this day off from work, why we have this day to share with our family – because so many of the young men and women of this country have sacrificed their family time forever.

To all those families who have contributed their loved one to the cause that is the United States of America, thank you.

Please pause sometime today and remember all those members of our Armed Forces who have given the ultimate sacrifice in order that we, the Greatest Nation in the World, may live in freedom.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

I, Cary Cartter, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

In Flanders Fields

John McCrae, 1915.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

To all who have served: Thank you. May this day help us all to remember those who have given everything in defense of the ideals that is the United States of America.

And thank you, Dad, for instilling in me the morals and ideals that I needed to become the man I am, no matter how painful it was at the time. I miss you.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!