ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Memorial Weekend, A Remembrance Time.

Updated on May 26, 2017

Memorial Weekend is upon us again, the weather is perfect and Americans will be attending picnics and cookouts. There will be many that will set out toward the lakes, rivers, or beaches, family fun, and laughter. Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, but through the years the true purpose of this national holiday has faded, and most do not even respect the holiday as it was intended. What does Memorial Day truly means, it means some Solider, Marine, Airman, or Sailor lost their life so we could be free to do all the things that we love to do, or don't do the things we do not like to do. FREEDOM is not FREE. It comes at a high cost for many family members that will never see their loved one again.

I am a spouse of a Retired Disabled Army Veteran and I greatly respect all military personnel. My husband was fortunate to return home from Iraq, while others in his unit were not as lucky. He was a Combat Medic and he saw more things than other soldiers, yet he had to remain calm and focus on his duties. As a spouse I became friends with other spouses in my neighborhood and we like all people like to have our cookouts and parties, but to us there was more meaning behind them.

One year it really hit home for me when my former neighbor and very close friend lost her husband in Iraq, just two weeks before heading home to complete his 2nd tour of duty. He had one more patrol to do, and he would be boarding a plane to the in-between place of Kuwait, there he would debrief and relax and become "normal" again before heading back to American soil, back to his family, his wife and four kids. That day did not come for him or his family. He was Killed in Action just hours before his duty ended, his tank hit an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) killing him instantly. March 21,2011 Brandon Hocking perished in a sandy desert far from home.

Brandon, was not only a father, he was a husband, son, brother, friend and solider. he loved his country and choose to fight the war of terrorism for all of us to be continue o be free. When I received the call that nobody wants to receive my heart dropped and I immediately went to her and her family. I could not say that I knew what she was going through because heavens knows I did not, but could imaging the hurt, the sadness and most of all I could imagine the unbelief that was obviously was going through her mind. The "no it cannot be my husband", or "I just spoke with him, he is on his way back", or even, "How do you know for sure it was my husband"? I would have thought the same thing, it would be hard to believe that it was your spouse that had not returned alive from war. it is always someone elses' not someone you know especially "your" husband. Yet, it was her husband, he was gone and he was not returning to her or the children. He was returning in coffin that would be carried by fellow soldiers. A task no one wants I am sure.

See Memorial Day means so much more to me and to her for this very reason. It began with the Revolutionary War, of military dying so he people could be free, and it continues today in the 21st century. I am not opposed to war, nor do I like it; I just know it is a fact of life and without war there would not be order to a sense and without order we have anarchy and that is not good either. So, before you fire up the grill, or drop the boat into the water, remember all those that have died so you could have the freedom to do all these things.

......And keep in mind those idiots, yes I said idiots that burn the American flag, or do not pledge the Allegiance to the flag, or even those that simply do not remove their hats during the time of the National Anthem, or pledge; they ironically have those freedoms because someone fought and some died for that right. This year in particular we to remember the fallen, with the way this country is divided, there isn't any unity. There is a widespread quote that has been said by many, and the originality is unclear, however the meaning is bold, "United we stand, divided we fall." We are headed for another Civil War, history is being erased and statues removed. Keep in mind history class, history repeats itself. I am sadden by the response that this country has had to the United States President Donald Trump, even if you did not vote for him, he still deserves respect because he is the leader of OUR country. There were many that did not want Obama to win, but when he did, the republicans did not cry and throw a fit, we accepted it and went on. Freedom has many faces, and it is all because of those that have given their lives so we may live free.

All Gave Some, but Some Gave All.

Thank You to all that gave their life so I can live mine. (This even includes Jesus Christ)


working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)