On Memorial Day 2009

They left their young lives on countless terrible battlefields across the world. They were the men who gave "the last full measure of devotion" in Lincoln's term, and Memorial Day is the day we turn our thoughts to them. Yes, it's a day off for working people, but this isn't a holiday, it's a day of commemoration. It's not "the start of summer", a day for cookouts and picnics. It's a day for us to be reflective and grateful. So on Memorial Day 2009, let me add my small voice to the chorus of gratitude. And let us hope and pray that some day, there won't be any new names for us to add to the roll of the honored dead.