Over the weekend, someone alerted me to an alarming statistic.
A poll was taken across the state asking people how they planned to spend their Memorial Day holiday.
Believe it or not, only a mere 19 percent said they planned to remember the veterans of this great country. The rest of the folks planned to cook out, gather with family, etc., etc.
It seems to me that we as Americans sure enjoy an awful lot of freedoms not to pay homage to those who made this possible for us.
I am glad that I can choose to worship when and where I want to. I sure am glad that I can buy food and clothing at my convenience. I especially like the fact that I can sit down and write this column without worrying about censorship.
So, tell me why only 19 percent of us care about remembering those who gave us the everyday things we so take for granted?
This holiday reminds me a lot of other holidays that have been turned from something meaningful into something commercial and materialistic.
Take Christmas, for example. We all know what that's really about, but do we take time out from our shopping, baking and decorating to reflect? Most times, we don't.
How about Easter? We're all too busy trying to dye Easter eggs and fill baskets and feed families to worry about why we really have a reason to smile on that Sunday morning.
To me, Memorial Day is no different. I'm not suggesting that Americans should have spent an entire day at the foot of a flagpole or at the gravesite of a loved one, but we should have been mindful enough of the holiday to pause and remember and give thanks.
And, to this very hour, there are still Americans across the ocean and even in our own country who are fighting for us to remain free - a fight that has become increasingly unknowing and uncertain.
Consider the following battle statistics:
4,000 Americans died during the American Revolution.
2,000 Americans died in the War of 1812.
1,000 Americans died in the Indian Wars.
13,000 Americans died in the Mexican War.
A staggering 497,821 Americans died during the Civil War. This doesn't even count the tens of thousands of Confederate soldiers who died in Union Army camps.
11,000 Americans died in the Spanish-American War.
116,000 Americans died in World War I.
406,000 Americans died in World War II.
55,000 Americans died during the Korean Conflict.
109,000 Americans died during the Vietnam Era.
9,000 Americans died during the Gulf War Era.
That's more than one million Americans who have died fighting for you and me. I hope you remembered to remember.
