A Day to Honor America's Heroes

Dear John,

While many consider Memorial Day weekend a time for family picnics and backyard barbecues with friends, we can’t forget the reason for this long holiday weekend.

On Memorial Day, we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice while heroically serving our country. Tomorrow, think of what President Reagan shared with our nation on May 31, 1982 from the Arlington National Cemetery:

“I have no illusions about what little I can add now to the silent testimony of those who gave their lives willingly for their country. Words are even more feeble on this Memorial Day, for the sight before us is that of a strong and good nation that stands in silence and remembers those who were loved and who, in return, loved their countrymen enough to die for them.

“Yet, we must try to honor them – not for their sakes alone, but for our own. And if words cannot repay the debt we owe these men, surely with our actions we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and to final sacrifice.”

Tomorrow, please remember to pause and consider the freedom provided to us by our fallen warriors, those American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom and our great nation. We must never forget their legacy.