In Memoriam: May 31, 2010

“Memorial Day is a day of opportunity to give thanks for all that we are blessed with. It should also be a day that we rededicate ourselves to our country and to America’s living veterans and their families in memory of the sacrifices they and others have made.

Veterans will gather to honor fallen comrades on this day — friends with whom they shared a foxhole or a meal. Their time together may have been brief, but the bonds were deeply formed. Life and feelings are intensified when there is sharing of hardship and laughter; fear and loss.

As Americans pay tribute to those who perished, we must be determined to assure that those who served and returned to us receive proper care and compensation for their wounds and infirmities. We must insist that every veteran has an opportunity for employment, education, and a home in which to live. We must vow that our veterans be treated with the dignity and respect they so richly deserve.

To properly honor our dead, we must honor our living. The defenders of this Nation have fulfilled their obligations to us; it is now our duty to honor all of the obligations owed to them.”

~ Jesse Brown, Secretary of Veterans Affairs (1996)