In the current time, Memorial Day for a lot of people is the start of summer, a day of barbecues, and outdoor recreation. Traditionally, Memorial Day is a day we take the time to pay tribute to the men and women of the armed forces who lost their lives serving our country.

Decoration Day, as it was first known, originated shortly after the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Observing Memorial Day includes activities such as visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family cookouts and walking in or observing parades.

Most of us will not attend any of the memorial services over the weekend.  I just hope we do not get wrapped up in the gala of an extended holiday weekend and forget those who made the supreme sacrifice.

Many of our cities and towns will have some Memorial Day ceremony. Some of the activities EXAIR employees will participate in include walking in a parade, distributing flowers on veteran gravesites with their 4H club and enjoying family and friends. We encourage you to find out what your community (or one near by) is doing and participate. At the very least, take a minute to think about those who fought for your opportunity to choose whatever you will do over this weekend.

Thank you to all of our lost defenders.

Sincerely,
The EXAIR Team

Image courtesy of Frank Schulenburg, Creative Commons License 3.0