Memorial Day true day of remembrance

It seems traditional observances of Memorial Day have diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of the day. Some think it is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

The National Moment of Remembrance resolution was passed in December 2000, which asks that at 3 p.m. Monday, for all Americans "to voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect," pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to "Taps."

Thankfully, Memorial Day has not lost its meaning in the Bellevue area. Traditional ceremonies of respect and tribute are still held around here and are well-attended by parents who show their children the true meaning of the day.

This Monday, May 26, takes on even more significance - it's the first since Bellevue native Jon Martin died from injuries he sustained fighting for his country...fighting for our security...in Iraq last November.

We encourage the continued community participation in Monday's ceremonies.

For as President Abraham Lincoln so eloquently put it in his Gettysburg Address: "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion...that we are highly resolved that these dead shall not have died in vain. That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."