On Memorial Day, most Americans will break out the barbecue grills, beer, chocolate cake, etc., and gather with family and friends to celebrate the holiday weekend.

But Memorial Day is so much more than that! It is a day to pause with solemn gratitude and deep respect for all our fallen service members, POWs, and MIAs who have given their lives for our country and our freedom.

On military installations all over the U.S. and abroad, there will be parades, celebrations, cookouts, and picnics. Not everyone  will be celebrating on May 31st. For our troops in harm’s way, it will be just another day ; for their families, it will be another day without their loved one.

Memorial Day which originated in 1868, when Union General John A. Logan designated a day in which the graves of Civil War soldiers would be decorated. Originally known as Decoration Day, the holiday was changed to Memorial Day in 1888, becoming a holiday dedicated to the memory of all war dead.

Every day in my military life is Memorial Day. We remember our friends and family that have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms that we enjoy each and every day. So many of the freedoms that all of us enjoy are because of the blood, sweat, and tears of all of our veterans and the sacrifices that they made.