There is a major remembrance day coming up though some of us may not realize it. Louisiana has so many celebratory days in the beginning of the year that we are likely to overlook one of the most important ones.
Memorial Day, which arrives Monday, pays tribute to the many heroes who have given their lives to the progress of our democracy. With them at our stead, we have preserved our independence and democracy while promoting the freedom of people around the world.
It is an often overlooked holiday coming after Mardi Gras and Easter which of course have their significance as well. There are also many festivals in the spring and joyous celebrations that keep us busy before the warm weather arrives.
But Memorial Day has a meaning that others do not have. It is the day that salutes the people who defended our country when the Nazis and other enemies headed our way.
They kept our heads above water when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the Germans lambasted us with air raids when we were trying to restore a peaceful and democratic world in Europe. The soldiers we honor on Memorial Day, we might say, brought a new democratic face to our world.
Without their help, we could be in dire straits today. We owe them thanks and respect and should bow our heads toward them this weekend.
Monday is Memorial Day for the brave men who died for us in those wars and we ask that you lift your half-staff flags in their respect Monday from early morning until noon. They deserve it and we certainly have to acknowledge respect for their courageous actions that saved many of our lives.
Also, say a prayer of thanks that they have made the world a better place in which to live. Without their help, the western part of the hemisphere may well be in the kind of conflict that now exists in the Mideast.
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