Monday May 26th is Memorial Day. The US federal holiday honors men and women who have died while serving in the US military.

Although many students take this time off from school to study for finals or hang out with friends, they should are also urged to take the time to consider those who have died fighting for their country. Students have the day off from school because it’s seen as important to recognize those who have fought for the rights and freedom of the United States.

The veterans’ sacrifices will not go unnoticed or unappreciated.

Many people are directly impacted by the day, as they either are veterans, or are close to veterans – both alive and deceased.

Stanford Eugene Linzey, a teacher, author, and former pastor, had a father who fought for his freedoms, and has two sons who served their country thus helping to preserve America’s freedoms. On Memorial Day, he reads articles related to the day and either emails or calls veterans to thank them for their service. He believes in teaching others about the day and that America’s freedoms are worth fighting for.

“I’d teach [high schoolers] a little bit about American history, and I’d compare our history and our freedoms to the history and freedoms of other countries-in doing that I help them understand why our country and our freedoms make us such a great country.”

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, and began shortly after the Civil War, when both the North and South honored those who died fighting for their freedoms on a state level. After WWI, the deceased were honored on May 30th at a national level. The holiday switched to the last day of May in 1971. New wars remind us of our protected rights, and give us more people to thank.

One of the assigned books for the English 10 Honors Course during this school year is The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. The book retells fictional war stories from the Vietnam War, and how the individuals involved had been impacted by their experiences. Mrs. Delimont’s English 10 Honors Class is currently reading the book.

“We think it’s important for students to have an understanding about war and the impact it has on not only the soldiers, but their families and anyone related to them, and how it changes lives,” Delimont said.

According to cnn.com, on December 28, 2000 President Bill Clinton signed the National Moment of Remembrance Act declaring 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day each year as the National Moment of Remembrance.

Elton Booth, a non-combat veteran who lives in the community, remembers his 22 years of service and the people he met.

“I have a lot of good memories,” claimed Elton Booth, “I met lots of very good friends. I enjoyed my work and I was proud to serve my country during the wartime, although the Korean War didn’t last.”

Students are urged to remember those who protected and still protect their rights, taking the time to thank them and possibly visit a memorial dedicated to veterans.

There are several monuments and national cemeteries throughout the US designated for veterans. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. is a national memorial honoring members of the US armed forces who fought and died serving in the war. The memorial wall lists the names of the deceased in chronological order.

Another famous site is the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, a vast cemetery on land that was formerly property of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee, located next to other important veteran sites. This May is the 150th anniversary since the first military burial took place in May 1864.
Along with state veterans cemeteries, there are two national veterans cemeteries in Colorado. They are the Fort Logan National Cemetery on W. Kenyon Ave. Denver and the Fort Lyon National Cemetery on County Road HH Las Animas.