We usually forget and just think of it as a holiday
This week we celebrated Memorial Day. The question I always have is: Did we really remember?
My father who fought in the Korean War let’s me know how important it is to remember during Memorial Day, not just to barbecue.
“I saw a lot of good men lose there lives for our country. Those men can not enjoy the freedoms we have in 2006 because they died in 1953 for you and for me,” Dad explained .
He went on to tell me how my uncle Aaron spent over 25 years in the Air Force before retiring.
As my father tells his stories of serving his country, I can’t help but notice the large skin graft that is on his right hand.
While serving in the Air Force, he was welding together a fighter plane and inadvertently was severely burned down to the bone on his hand when the soldering iron fell.
The doctors had to graph skin from his left leg and place it on his hand to replace the skin that had been lost in the firing accident.
He has had that skin-grafted hand longer than he had his regular hand.
All my father has to do to remember our soldiers on Memorial Day is to look at his hand.
So this week, while the family was getting ready to “celebrate” Memorial Day and the grill was cooking good food, I remembered.
I remembered the stories my father has told me and not only that but I also told my children.
It is so easy to forget and to take our freedom for granted. This year, I made an effort to remember. I am glad I did.
Thank you all who serve our country and the families that sacrifice for that service.
Thanks for sharing.