Remember Those Who Sacrificed on Memorial Day
At 5 a.m. on April 19th in 1775, the ‘shot heard round the world' was fired at Lexington, Massachusetts. That night over 700 British Redcoats had marched through the night to restore order in the colonies. They were met at Lexington by 77 minutemen. Now, 237 years later, no one knows who took the first shot, but within minutes 8 colonials were dead.
The Redcoats marched on to Concord where they were met by a force of 400 minutemen. As the church bells tolled, more and more colonials joined the fight until their forces reached nearly 5,000 men. The British were forced back to Boston and a revolution had begun.
This Memorial Day, we celebrate the courage of those men and women who have fought for the United States of America. From Lexington to Pearl Harbor and from the famous charge up San Juan Hill to modern day Iraq, Americans have always stood for freedom and liberty.
One WWII Commander wondered aloud, "where do we get such men?" They risked their lives to save others. They left the comfort of home to fight for places they had never heard of overseas.
This Memorial Day, I hope that you will take a moment to reflect on those who have sacrificed for this country. Not only will you find these heroes in Arlington National Cemetery, but in every cemetery in every town in America. Throughout our proud history, men and women from every walk of life have rallied to the call of freedom and we are forever in their debt.
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Sincerely,
Sam Graves