Motivation Monday - Memorial Day

Freedom Is Not Free 

By Kelly Strong

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

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I know most of you will be busy with picnics, parties, and BBQs this weekend. Memorial Day weekend tends to be a "celebration," a kick off to summertime, but please don't forget to honor the real meaning of Memorial Day. Take time to remember all of those who have died in service for our freedom. Say a sincere thank you to everyone you know who has served or is currently serving in our military, and thank their family members too!