A Son Of Liberty

Memorial Day weekend was a busy one for the Napalm family as we exercised our freedoms. We have the freedom to own property and used it to plant a garden and install a ice maker line. We have the freedom of mobility and used it to plant flags in a local veterans' cemetery, attend baseball practice and an ice cream social. And we have the freedom to worship freely according to our consciences and did so on Sunday. Those freedoms are God-given and we still live in a nation that protects us from the tyranny that wants to take them away.

All weekend, I saw salute after salute to veterans. A PBS special on Sunday evening chronicled the life of a wounded warrior. I hear President Obama gave an address on Memorial Day honoring our veterans. He encouraged us to send care packages overseas and even had the nerve to say that "we have failed to give them [veterans] the support they need or pay them the respect they deserve." Regardless, Memorial Day on the news and radio was about the veterans.

While I think that honoring living veterans is noble and shouldn't be relegated to one day, Veterans Day, the fact remains that nearly everyone got it wrong. Memorial Day is a day to remember those who paid the ultimate price by giving their lives in defense of the liberties I mentioned above. Memorial Day is a day set aside to consider the losses of wars. It is a day to consider what it is like for a mother or wife to lose a son or husband. It is a day of remembrance and a day or reflection. A day of mourning -- fly the flag at half staff until noon -- and a day to exercise the secured freedoms -- fly the flag at full staff and celebrate with family and friends.

And this morning, I finally found someone who got it right. Are they the only to get it right? Probably not. I'm sure there are others. But so many got it wrong, that this was such a relief. It's a day late, but here you go: "Memorial Day 2009".