LETTERS: RECALL REASON FOR MEMORIAL DAY

To the editor:

The ads, fliers and circulars are arriving in our homes proclaiming great values in merchandise to be available at Memorial Day sales.

I fear that our people have forgotten the meaning of Memorial Day. It has become just another day off work for some, while others labor to serve those who observe the holiday by shopping store to store. Even the date itself has been moved to always occur on a Monday to provide us with a three-day weekend, further eroding and trivializing the true meaning of the day.

Instead of shopping on Memorial Day, please consider visiting a cemetery or cemeteries where your family members lie who have predeceased you. Reflect on what their lives meant to you and the sacrifices they made for you. Attend a memorial service. Go to Cape County Park. Get out of your car and walk down the avenue of flags and read the names on the flagpoles. Think about these people and the price they paid for our liberties.

If you know a war veteran, call or write her or him to tell them that you appreciate that they took years out of their lives to preserve the rights and privileges we enjoy today. Freedom isn't free.

VANCE COMBS

Cape Girardeau