Originally called Decoration Day, a day to commemorate those lost in the Civil War, it was eventually changed to Memorial Day in 1967, to honor those lost in all of our wars.
It wasn't til 8 years ago that I really stopped to think what this "holiday" was really about. Only 11 days before the Memorial Day of that year, we learned that my cousin was shot and killed by a sniper in Iraq. He was standing atop his tank, tossing candy to some Iraqi children when the bullet hit him.
I was 15 and had never experienced a family loss, nor did I ever expect my extended family to be the ones to feel the effects of war firsthand. I caught a glimpse of what grieving families for centuries have endured when startled with the news that their soldier would never come home.
In the 237 years America has been a free country, it has cost us over 1,309,000 lives.
Let us not forget the lives, and the families, who sacrificed so we can live free.
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