Memorial Day is a time to remember all who have fallen in war times.  To honor the American Veteran’s who have died for our country.  It is a time to remember that peace is fleeting, that there are men and women who have fought and died for us.  This weekend of rememberance started in the south as people honored their Confederate heros, and it became a national holiday by the 20th century.

I do not recall stories further back than my own parent’s immediate families for service to our country.  I know my dad was in the Navy in the late 1950s.

I think most of both my parent’s brothers were in one branch of the service or another, though there are a few who did not serve our country in the same manner. 

Although many folks use the Memorial Day Weekend to start their summer, we have not ever done that.  We, as a family of Scouts, choose to take the time to start our holiday weekend off by honoring those who have served our country by placing American flags at the graves of Veterans in our local cemetery:

I can honestly say, this is one of the most special times of the year for our family.  My kids’ lives have been enriched because of this community service project.  They have enhanced their love of history through learning about the different branches of the service and what years (war or not) folks have served in and they have grown up knowing that just because it’s considered a holiday weekend by most – in our house it is a weekend of honoring those who have served our country and have passed away.

This is my last year of being the Girl Scout leader in our community, but it will not be the last year of helping provide this service.  My husband’s Boy Scout troop will take over the community service project but our family will be involved in it as long as we can possibly do it.  We may have a zillion other places to be during the rest of the weekend, but we will not let the holiday weekend start without remembering who died after offering their lives in our nation’s military.