"Speak Out" is an expression of opinion from the Editorial Board of WBTV, and is presented by General Manager, Nick Simonette.
Memorial Day Weekend is the traditional kick-off to summer. Families often take advantage of it for a cookout or quick getaway now that school's winding down.
But several school systems, including CMS, will be using THIS Memorial Monday as a snow make-up day. And a number of schools will spend part of their time teaching students about Memorial Day itself. We applaud them for this.
Seriously, how many of us today know the origins of this holiday? Or take time to truly celebrate it?
Memorial Day began as "Decoration Day" just after the Civil War. The "official" birthplace is listed as Waterloo, New York, although other remembrances began at about the same time. It was designed to help lift the spirits of troops who had lost comrades in that war by decorating graves of the fallen with flowers. Following World War I, Memorial Day was expanded to include American casualties of any war or military action.
But more important than the facts are the people we remember....Men and women...husbands, wives...sons and daughters...who laid down their lives to protect the United States, or who died so that those in other countries might also live free.
To those departed - and their families - we say "thank you."
And on Monday at 3 p.m., we encourage you to join your fellow Americans for a national moment of remembrance. For the ultimate sacrifice these heroes made, it's the very least we can do.
Because WBTV is "On Your Side," we encourage everyone to "Speak Out" - tell us what YOU think. SpeakOut@wbtv.com.
