The following message is from Tony's Battalion Commander:
This weekend holds many different meanings depending upon your age, hobbies, occupation, family traditions, or group affiliation. To some individuals it marks the end of school or to others it’s the beginning of summer. Weather permitting, it is a weekend of picnics, parades, and social gathering usually coupled with enjoying a favorite sporting event like the Indy 500, NCAA lacrosse championship, or local summer baseball.
I believe the founders of this holiday did not intend for it become a day of celebration but instead it was a time of reconciliation and remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our great nation during the Civil War. Now, over a century later, our nation places military members around the world serving as ambassadors and warriors.
Our country finds itself involved in multiple conflicts around the globe. Today’s armed services are comprised of brave men and women who voluntarily serve during this time of conflict. They join the military answering a higher calling, fully knowing that the potential of serving in harm's way is great. The dangers associated with military service are readily apparent and are the unfortunate cost of preserving freedom, encouraging democracy, and protecting the rights of others.
As such, for many families, this weekend holds a very different and more solemn meaning. They will not attend parades or picnics but choose to have a time of remembrance in honor of a family member or friend.
I ask that each and every one of us take some time during this weekend’s festivities to pay tribute to the true meaning of Memorial Day as the founders of this holiday had intended.
~Lt Col Charney
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