Thank You to Soldiers....Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow

Thank You Soldiers & God Bless

While Memorial Day is now associated with the start of the summer season, family barbecues, pool parties, big summer sales at the malls, and, of course, a paid day off work, let's all take the time to remember the true meaning of this day...

Living right next to Luke Air Force Base, I have the honor of seeing our young servicemen and women around my community, and I get to watch and hear our amazing jet fighters doing their practice runs directly overhead.  What an awesome sight that is!!  I also am close enough to hear their horns, which are played 4 times every day.  I cannot express the feeling of pride and humility I get being able to experience all this first-hand!
                                                                            

Red Poppies are the official Memorial Day flower

Here is some trivia about this day that I borrowed from Purple Trail.


Memorial Day Trivia:

• Memorial Day is a day of remembrance of those who have died serving our country.
• General John Alexander Logan ordered the Memorial Day holiday to be observed by decorating the war dead.
• On Memorial Day, the flag should be at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff.
• Red Poppies are recognized as the Memorial Day flower.
• “Taps” is often played at ceremonies on Memorial Day.
• Memorial Day was first called “Decoration Day” because of the practice of decorating soldier’s graves with flowers.
• New York was the 1st state to officially recognize Memorial Day.
• Flowers and flags are the two most popular items people use to remember soldiers.
• The south refused to honor the dead on Memorial Day until after World War I when the meaning of Memorial Day changed from honoring civil war dead to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war.
• Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday in 1971.

If you enjoy the freedoms we have as Americans, please take the time to thank a soldier or the family who has lost a loved one who served.  Remember that today, perhaps more than ever, these freedoms are being threatened in so many ways and from so many directions....and that in order to maintain the lifestyles we have come to expect, we must remain united and fight to protect our liberties!!

Whatever your plans for the day, please take the time to say a prayer for  those who have died for our freedom, and those who continue to fight for us every day!!

God Bless America!!