Memorial Day Message

A Special Memorial Day Message
On May 27, we as a nation will pause to remember a group of Americans to whom we owe every freedom we enjoy.

The strength of our nation has been built on the sacrifices made by the men and women who lost their lives protecting it. This weekend you'll have the opportunity to remember those who gave their lives in the name of freedom. How you choose to spend this time is a personal choice only you can make.

It is my hope that at some point over the next few days you'll take a moment to consider those sacrifices and what they've meant to this country.

Remember a generation of Americans that is unfortunately dwindling by the day. Our World War II veterans rode a groundswell of patriotism after Pearl Harbor. They flooded the recruiting offices and defended this nation with a will and resolve that we still owe them for to this day.

Thousands of them never came home from the Far East, France or Great Britain. Many were lost while serving on or beneath the sea. Those who lived led this country for 60 years after the war, but their numbers are diminishing. Remember them this weekend.

Remember our loved ones that sacrificed so much in Korea and Vietnam. These hero's fought wars thousands of miles away from home while their fellow Americans debated it at home. They fought enemies emboldened by our country's discord, and they fought for one another.

Think back to the day immediately following 9/11 and the thousands of young Americans who, like their grandparents, joined the military to defend this nation against an enemy who attacked us because we are a country that embraces freedom. We've lost many of them too, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Remember them as you do our veterans of Korea, World War I, II and Vietnam.

This weekend is a time we've traditionally set aside to honor the sacrifices of those who died in service of our nation. Memorializing them goes to the core of who we are as Americans. Our thoughts should be with them every day, and I hope yours are. And, if not every day, then certainly this Monday.

Stay safe this weekend. Enjoy your families, and never forget the men and women who took an oath to defend this nation, then made the ultimate sacrifice upholding freedom and democracy.