We live in the land of the free and the brave. In America, freedom is our birth right, but it doesn't come free.
Since our country's creation there have been brave men and women who have fought and in many cases died so that we can all live lives of our own choosing.
What a wonderful gift that is.
Many years ago, Americans realized that and began paying tribute to the brave souls who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
Memorial Day evolved from what many people called Decoration Day. A day where women's groups decorated the graves of those who died in service to our country.
Its sentiment remains, that we pause and pay tribute to those people who died so that we can all be free.
To many people Memorial Day has become a long, holiday weekend and the officials start of Summer, but its meaning goes so much deeper than that and we should never forget; Memorial Day is a day to remember and give thanks to those brave Americans who we owe our very existence to.
I'm James Smith.
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