Memorial Day

Let me take this time out to say thanks to all military men & women who have served, are serving and our fallen soldiers. You guys have much respect from me because of the highest sacrifice you have made in fighting for our country. You are the real stars in my view. The original intent of Memorial Day was to honor our fallen soldiers and military men & women who have served or are serving in the Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force & Coast Guard. I salute you. Memorial Day has been desecrated into nothing more than an excuse for people to have cookouts (BBQ) and have a day off from work. Since when did cookouts become a staple for Memorial Day? To my knowledge, cookouts were never a staple in Memorial Day history. At most, people packed a picnic and paid homage to fallen heroes. Now, Memorial Day is nothing more than a 3-day weekend of cookouts and a day off from work. Most people don't bother remembering the sacrifices our military men and women have made, let alone those of our fallen soldiers. I'm one of the few people that honors Memorial Day like it was intended; to pay homage to those in uniform. You can have cookouts any time of the year but Memorial Day should be the one day where you honor those who have went before you. I have family on both parents side that have served/are serving in the military and I thank them every chance I get for their sacrifice. I'll remember touring a military base in Norfolk, VA for the rest of my life because until then, I've never seen a live military base. I got to meet several personnel, see a barrack that my uncle and aunt stayed in when they were serving and I saw a lot of combat planes and ships that are used in battle. People have forgotten about the significance of Memorial Day and that's sad. Most don't care or bother to learn but yet you can throw hotdogs and burgers on the grill for Memorial Day. This article explains how Memorial Day SHOULD be commemorated:
http://baltimore.about.com/b/2010/05/31/the-true-meaning-of-memorial-day.htm