Tag: parade

Memorial Day 2018

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Across the United States, we are gearing up for our traditional observance of Memorial Day, on Monday. A good many of us will be fortunate to enjoy an extra day off…EXAIR employees included; we’re closed Monday, May 28, for the holiday.

In the temperate climate of the mid-Atlantic region where I live, there’s going to be a LOT of landscaping and gardening going on. Those with swimming pools will be starting the chemical balancing game that, with any luck, they’ll win before Labor Day. As for me, my rest & relaxation game will be strong for most of the weekend.

Monday, though, my family and I will join many others from our community at our township’s Memorial Day parade. My son plays in the local High School Marching Band, and they will be leading it out with a grand display of brass and winds and drums and color guard and patriotic musical selections. Volunteers from a vintage military aviation museum at our local airport will conduct a “fly-over” that never disappoints. Members of other civic-minded groups will likewise join the parade. And we’ll all take time to remember those who gave their lives in service to our nation.

Whatever your plans are for this weekend, I join the rest of the EXAIR team in wishing for you a perfect blend of rest, relaxation, productivity…and remembrance.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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Memorial Day

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

It all started the year after I bought my house. My next door neighbor – a Vietnam-era veteran, Honor Flight Guardian, and the best neighbor ever – bought a bunch of American flags & poles, and asked if it would be OK to put them out along the sidewalk in front of our houses to observe the upcoming Independence Day holiday…he had enough to go all the way to the corner of our street. We all thought it was a fantastic idea. And it was just the start.

The following year, just before Memorial Day, as Monty raised the flags down our street, another row popped up around the corner. And, come Fourth of July, there were more. Now, every sidewalk in our neighborhood is decorated every Memorial Day and Independence Day, at 10- to 12-foot intervals (to be fair, nobody published a standard, so it is what it is) with the Stars and Stripes.

I DO love this neighborhood.
I DO love this neighborhood.

Memorial Day, is, of course, the day that we honor the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for the great country that my awesome little neighborhood is part & parcel of. And honor it we will. There will be parades with marching bands and floats. Veteran’s groups will perform ceremonies and vigils. Military aircraft will perform fly-overs at ballgames & special events. Monty will set the flags down our sidewalk. And most of us will enjoy a long weekend.

I’ve seen a lot of posts on social media, reminding us of the meaning of Memorial Day, “in case you thought it was national grill-out day, just another 3-day weekend, etc.” It’s a good reminder; that much is true. But we can honor their sacrifice in celebration too. This weekend, dear reader, I encourage you to light up the grill. Go see some fireworks. Bicycle around the neighborhood (or further) with your kids.  Go camping. Sleep in. Stay up late. Spend time with friends and family. These things are the way of life that our heroes fought and died for, right?

But in the midst of whatever you do, remember them: From the Minutemen who fell at Lexington & Concord, to those who didn’t make it home from the recent campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.  May God bless them all, and those they left behind.

In closing, as a former submariner, I am also reminded of the ninety-nine members of the crew of USS Scorpion (SSN-589,) which was lost 47 years ago today (presumed, based on last communications.)

Sailors, rest your oars.
Sailors, rest your oars.

Please enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.  It’s been paid for dearly.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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Memorial Day 2013 image courtesy of Tony Alter.  Creative Commons License