Honoring Memorial Day

Yesterday I ran the Wounded Warrior 5K in support of the Wounded Warrior project. It was not only a great run for an extremely good cause, but it was a day to smile at the amount of support that was displayed for our service men and women.

While at the race I saw a couple of people who wore T-shirts that had the saying "All gave some, Some gave all."

Today, Memorial Day, we honor those who gave all. Those men and women who lost their lives while protecting our freedoms. Some people will honor fallen soldiers by placing flowers or flags on graves. Some will join family and friends for a BBQ and raise a toast for a loved one lost in a battle.

However you choose to remember those men and women who gave their all, it doesn't matter, as long as your remember them. Remember an uncle, a father, a lover, a friend who chose to stand that wall and fight that fight for you, for us. They put their lives on the line so that today you could spend with family and friends however you choose. That freedom of choice is what our service men and women fight and sometimes die for.

Even if you don't visit a gravesite or raise a glass in a toast, please take a minute to remember someone, anyone who may have touched your life and lost theirs, because whether you knew it or not, he or she thought you and our way of life was worth fighting for and protecting.

While today is about our fallen, but not forgotten soldiers, please, if you see a Veteran or a soldier take a moment to just say, "Thank you for your service." Because of them you are here, safe and sound to enjoy that BBQ, that sunshine, and your family and friends.

I want to give a shout of thanks to men who I know who were/are soldiers. Thank you, Thomas Robbins, Dave Cacciotti, Brendan Daley, Duane Augustson, my grandpa Cohoon (who passed away when I was young) and I'm too far away to stop by and say hello. I know there are many more that I should say thank you to, but these are just a few who are near and dear and thankfully still a part of my life.

To the men and women who lost their lives while fighting for us, I want to say, "Thank you and know that I and many more honor you today and the sacrifice you made."

Hugs and love to all those that have lost a soldier to war. Thank you.