On Memorial Day, many Americans have a barbeque, spend the day in a department store looking for sales, or otherwise enjoy a day off work. What often does not happen is a reflection on the true meaning of the holiday.

Memorial Day is intended to be a day of remembrance for those who have died serving this great nation during war. In December 2000, the National Day of Remembrance was founded to help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning and tradition of Memorial Day, by asking that at 3 pm local time, a moment of remembrance and respect be observed with a moment of silence. American Thinker interviewed a few Americans who have contributed to the War on Terror, asking them to reflect on this holiday.

Debbie Lee's son, Marc Alan, was the first SEAL killed in Iraq. She regarded herself as one of those Americans who did not connect Memorial Day with its true meaning until August 2, 2006, when her son was killed. She commented that today, many Americans mark this holiday as a signal for the end of the school year, but her wish is that "everyone understand [that] the families of those killed have given our best and brightest for this nation. This is supposed to be the day we remember our fallen soldiers. For me, every day is a Memorial Day." She suggests that Americans have someone in the family take the time to talk about the true meaning of this holiday.

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/05/a_day_to_remember_our_fallen.html#ixzz1w9DepF00