Always Remember

In the late 70s and early 80s, my parents took a lot of one day trips.  They would fly out of Charlotte at 6:00am and return around midnight the same day.  The tour group would be picked up in the city they were visiting and would go to all of the tourist sites.  This was a good way for my parents to travel since they only had to miss one day of work, all of the arrangements had been made for them and they never had to drive anywhere.

One of the earliest places where they went was New York City.  They were excited to see the Empire State Building, World Trade Center, Rockefeller Center and eat lunch at Chinatown.  As they were on the ferry to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty, my dad asked my mother what her thoughts were then.  My mother said, "as a little girl growing up in the country, I never thought I would see this".  My mother then asked my dad what he was thinking.  His response was, "I am thinking about all of the service men in WWII who were coming home and the first thing they saw was the Statue of Liberty."

I wonder if the service men on the ships cheered as they came into the harbor.  I wonder if the men kept looking at their watches, wondering if they would ever make it home.  I wonder if the men stepped off of the ships and thanked God they were back on American ground.  I wonder if the men saw an American flag and teared up at the beautiful colors and what they represented.  I wonder if the men thought of the many who didn't make it home.

Always remember Memorial Day and what this day means to the United States of America.