The word "Memorial" according to the dictionary is:
"something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc"
If you look at that word in a broader sense....every anniversary, birthday...Any kind of celebration "memorializes" ....preserves the memory of...whatever happened on that day.
We all to remember in different ways...while this may be to some, the start of another season...planting flowers, enjoying a barbeque and warmer ...there is also the time we take to "remember" those who made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. 
To some people it is important to make a distinction between Memorial Day ...honoring the brave who are no longer with us...and Veteran's Day....the people who survived their service to our country....and to each of us.
We don't believe that line needs to be drawn. Ask the wife, mother, sister, brother or friend of a Veteran that came home ....who is many ways is "not the same person" as the one who was deployed. There are many physical kinds of issues...missing limbs...scars...injuries leaving Veterans with less than full functioning bodies...and as importantly...minds... not the same as the ones with which they enlisted. Far beyond is a sobering statistic:
A recent analysis found a suicide rate among veterans of about 30 per 100,000 population per year, compared with the civilian rate of 14 per 100,000.
The mind crippling flashbacks took their toll...we know those widows..those children without a Dad....that Mother that cannot cope with the loss of a child. We know the people who cannot tolerate fireworks...without severe repercussions.
There are many kinds of sacrifice....there are many heroes...some that walk among us ...some who cannot walk. Be gratueful for all of them...what you call the day is not important...the gratitude and remembrance...IS.
This is a post that reminds us all that sacrifices come in many ways...and gratitutde and respect every day is what every Veteran deserves. WIth Respect, Sally K. & David L. Hanson, Broker Associates, EXP Realty, southeastern Wisconsin.
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