Let Us Never Forget Their Service

Everybody loves a holiday!

And with Memorial Day approaching fast, plans are being made by the minute, no doubt. A quick, getaway vacation for the weekend; barbecues; the opening of beach houses down at the shore; day trips to the shore, etc., etc., etc.
And you know what? All the best to everyone, because most people deserve to have a good time with family, friends and the like.

But with that said, Physicians First Messages is here to remind you that although it’s certainly encouraged to 
enjoy the long weekend and holiday, everyone should also remember the true meaning of Memorial Day as well. 

Because the truth of the matter is, due to apathy, that true meaning sometimes gets lost.

For those of you who don’t know, Memorial Day, which became an official federal holiday in 1971, is always observed on the last Monday of May. The purpose of the holiday is to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

Unofficially, of course, it marks the beginning of summer as well. But as it pertains to the official holiday, we should all remember that there’s a number of other things we can do to honor those who lost their lives before we hit the beach or spark up the outdoor grill.

I’d personally like to offer some suggestions on what you and others can do:

For starters, any voluntary service you can provide at a cemetery can without question provide solace to those who might have lost a loved one. For instance, help clean up or place flowers and/or flags on graves or even take it a 
step further and adopt a gravesite where you can occasionally keep maintenance for a fallen soldier’s grave.

Do you play the bugle? How about playing Taps for the family who might be visiting the grave of a loved one who 
died in combat? Outside the cemetery, you might be able to make a donation to a worthy cause in the name of a fallen military member. Or you can send a ‘thank you’ bouquet through the National Memorial Day Foundation. Those flowers will be placed at the local war memorials. 

Other things that could make for a great tribute include inviting a service member over to your barbecue; make your barbecue a red, white and blue fest; observing a moment of silence before you eat; fly your flag, albeit with 
proper flag etiquette; attend a parade or Memorial Day Service.

I think you get the picture. The possibilities are endless.

Look, in my view, Memorial Day is a celebration to those lives that were lost while serving in the U.S. military.  And a celebration should be spent with family and friends. But I also believe we should make an extra effort to say thank you to our fallen military personnel and the aforementioned suggestions more than fit the bill.

Physicians First Messages believes those are proper ways to say ‘thank you.’

Sincerely,
John Calhoun
Owner and operator