Some of you enlisted, some were drafted, and some stood on the shoreline or at the airport greeting and saying goodbye as the others left for perilous lands or returned from life-risking experiences. Memorial by definition is something serving to preserve remembrance, a commemorative of or relating to memory. A memory is the power or process of reproducing or recalling what has been learned and retained especially through associative mechanisms. Memorial Day is all these things and it is dedicated to the veterans.

Many people observe Memorial Day, the last Monday of May, by visiting cemeteries and memorials and laying flowers on stone markers, and raising their eyes to heaven. Another tradition is to hoist the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at national cemeteries.

For many Americans, the central event is attending one of the thousands of parades held on Memorial Day in cities all over the country. Most feature marching bands and an overall military theme with the National Guard and other servicemen and women participating along with young and old veterans and military vehicles from various wars.

“Thanks for the Memory” sang the super NCO trouper Bob Hope as he visited troops around the world for many years. He could sing that today and it would still be fresh and new.

For others, Veterans Memorial Day is like Thanksgiving Day. Thanks for the GI Bill that allowed me to get a decent education and thus a decent job when I returned from duty. Thanks for the veterans loan to help me purchase a house for my family and me.

And thanks for the VA medical service for allowing me to proceed day by day in a healthy manner. Thanks for the retirement home that allows me to live my ending years in comfort. Thanks for all the friends I met from around the country. And thanks for funding my travel to cities and countries around the world I never would have seen otherwise.

Ah, but don’t forget the other side of Memorial Day -- summer. Because Memorial Day is generally associated with the start of this warm and generally happy season, it is common tradition to inaugurate the outdoor cooking season on Memorial Day with a barbecue with all your friends attending in your backyard. It’s the season for vacations, and hiking, and camping out; softball games in the park; bike riding on the trails and along the river; jogging for health as well as pleasure; and just walking with or without your dog.

“Memories, important yesterdays, were once todays, treasure and notice today,” said Gloria Gaither a songwriter and author. Yes, today and this summer will be tomorrow’s memories, and it is important to live them well and happy. “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today,” said Abe Lincoln, and I guess he was telling us to live life to its fullest -- and if he were around at this time, he would probably say, have a great and happy summer.

So it can be seen, that we who are also a veteran or veteran supporter, have a wealth of benefits that should not be ignored. Everything helps in today’s environment and your seniorhood and maybe non-working status can be a positive. Don’t let today slide by without notice in the future. Today is the future.

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