Celebrating and Remembering

This weekend from coast to coast, the grill will be fired up, potato salad will be prepared, along with layered salads, baked beans, deviled eggs and picnic fare will be served far and wide to celebrate the official beginning of summer, and to remember those in the Armed Forces who have served and died.

Decorating the graves in the 1800's

Decorating the graves at Arlington National Cemetery

I grew up in the military; my dad was in the Navy and we moved almost every 2 years.  One year we moved three times in 9 months; I changed schools three times that year.  The happiest times I remember were when we lived in the DC area; so much history, and my dad not being gone on a ship, and my cousins just across the river in Chevy Chase, it felt like home.
Going to Arlington Cemetery to watch the President or the Vice President lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier and to see all the flags on the graves was part of our Memorial Days when we lived there.

Afterwards it was a barbecue in the back yard with my dad squirting lighter fluid into the lit the grill and having a huge fire ball erupt; many times he lost an eyebrow doing this, but it was great fun to watch!

 We also had championship croquet matches which somehow got very rowdy with the neighbors drinking Manhattans and martinis.  The foods were always a  potpourri of the neighborhood; southern, All-American, a bit of Italian, and cold libations, with sweet iced tea and lemonade for the children.

So, what's on your grill this weekend?

Memories and Rememberance

As we honor the fallen from the military this weekend, I can't help but think of my dad, his brother and their generation; most have died, but the few who survive have stories to tell and history to relate.  The military of World War II were young, and willing, the same as the men today fighting for our country in Afghanistan and holding together the fragile peace in Iraq.  What we seem to forget on these 3 day weekends is why the third day is a holiday.  This weekend in cemeteries across the US you will see small flags decorating the graves of veterans...this happens because people remember the sacrifice of those who served. 

 These photos are from Normandy, where so many young lives were lost.  The brave soldiers who stormed this beach saved Europe and the free world from the tyranny of Hitler.  

Peaceful and serene today, Omaha beach "ran with blood" on the day of the invasion.  

This weekend as we remember the fallen, let's also take a moment to remember those who are serving in remote parts of the world: a crag in Afghanistan, a tiny base in Diego Garcia a dot on the map in the Indian Ocean, on a ship in the Mediterranean, and the families who carry on without them.  They are the true heroes in our world.  

This video is from Ronald Reagan's speech at Ponte do Hoc in Normandy, on the 40th anniversary of D-Day.  My cousin at the time was a White House Photographer and told me it was all he could do to keep his composure it was such a moving speech.  Wishing you all a weekend filled with memories and remembrances as we celebrate memorial day.