Amidst the beer, BBQ, and good holiday humor, today should also be one of somber reflection, if even briefly.
For, this day, we humbly honor The Fallen: those who have given their lives--in battle and beyond--to this nation.
Their deaths echo across lost futures, devastated families, loved ones, and friends, eternally mournful.
But now they're just weathered dog tags, hard tears, and faded flowers, laid across wistful graves.
So I'll paraphrase Lincoln and suggest it must be we, the living, who solemnly pay tribute to their service and sacrifice, or, I fear, they will just drift from our memory.
Therefore I ask, most respectively: please take a few moments this day, bow your heads, and pray for our lost brothers-and-sisters-in-arms, and those bereaved.
V/r, DSK