Recognition Of The Real Heroes

To Those Who Serve And Who Have Served, I Pay Homage

By David Miranda

Today is Memorial Day.

To many Americans it is a long weekend, the unofficial beginning of the summer season - the weekend of the Indianapolis 500, the Coca-Cola 600, backyard BBQ's, picnics, outdoor concerts, and a plethora of sales at everything from malls to car dealerships. It is classic Americana.

Memorial Day is really about heroes, those men and women who serve and have served in the defence of their country. Far too many never came back to enjoy the freedom we take for granted today. Today they rest in hallowed ground like Arlington National Cemetery where over 250,000 are buried from conflicts including the Civil War, WWI, WWII, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam, The Gulf War, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Many heroes from these and other conflicts have come back with the emotional and physical scars of their brave and selfless service. Then there are the heroic families - the fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins who will never share lives that were either ended all too soon or were forever changed by the ravages of battle.

The country can never repay these heroes for their sacrifice, but we can honor their service.

On this Memorial Day and the other 364 days of each year, we can recognize and pay homage to their legacy to the rest of us - our freedom - not just with flags and parades, but in our hearts.

God bless them and their families and God bless America!