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In communities across the nation, people will gather this weekend at cemeteries and various monuments established to honor the memories of our military veterans in observance of Memorial Day.
We often look to this weekend as the start of the summer season, with swimming pools opening and families planning cookouts, while others make plans for long-weekend getaways.
That's all well and good, but let's remember the true and somber reason for observing this holiday.
Keep in mind, this isn't a day to wish anyone a "Happy" anything. It's a day to remember, to pay tribute, to think about the sacrifices of the few for the many.
Originally observed as Decoration Day, with documented roots to before the American Civil War, the day was set aside as a time for those of us still living to pay tribute to those who had given their lives in military service to the still-young nation. At the time, the United States had existed for only around 70 or 80 years. The people of this country knew well the stories of their parents or grandparents who took up arms to liberate the colonies from the British throne, and those who fought in the War of 1812. Then, there was the Mexican-American War and the various other campaigns we got ourselves into (most of which were more about conquest, taking over land, and expanding our reach around the world than defending the nation).
The point is, all of those wars were fresh in the collective minds of the American people, and families took time to honor their lives and sacrifices by setting aside a day each year to place flags on - or decorate - their graves.
Traditions differed following the Civil War as the North and South found their own ways to observe, with many practices varying from state to state.
Those, eventually, would be merged into a common thread in the early 20th Century, as the rejoined nation worked to heal. Memorial Day would become a more common reference for the observance following World War II, but wouldn't officially take its place until 1967. One year later, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moving previously established dates to a particular Monday to allow for three-day weekends.
While the events of the Revolution and Civil War have slipped into the rolls of history, the generations of those of us living now have had our own battles, our own wars. We have known people who have stepped forward to defend the nation, and made the ultimate sacrifice in doing so.
We gather this weekend to remember them all - no matter the point in history, no matter the war, no matter the battlefield. They offered their service, and their lives, in defense of a common cause, of defending the nation and its ideals. It was not for a president or a political party. In many cases, it was not even that they necessarily wanted to go. They were called, and they answered.
Unfortunately, they were never able to come home.
This weekend, I would hope each of us would take the time to pay tribute to their service, whether you visit the graves of family or friends who served, attend a local service, or stand guard at the grill in your back yard.
Remember what they gave.
(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @CHowellWDT)