Honoring and Remembering Those Who Serve
Our newsletter enjoyed a “Spring Break” during tax season, and now we will resume our client newsletters on a twice monthly schedule. These communications are intended to be an opportunity for you to get to know our staff on a more personal level, as well as for us to share with you some timely tax and financial information.
Memorial Day is often considered the start of the summer season, and we’re hoping that the weather in Connecticut will take notice! I can remember as a young boy marching with the Cub Scouts and then the Boy Scouts in the Peabody Memorial Day Parades. We began with some short speeches and the firing of rifles salutes in a ceremony at Cedar Grove Cemetery. The cannon next to the veterans’ graves would then sound its salute. After that, everyone headed to the streets for the parade.
Our parade brought the community together—everyone was either watching or marching. This little local parade was about an hour long, with probably 5,000 people participating: Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, veterans’ groups, military contingents, and plenty of bands. It was a true community affair. We all ended up at the high school for an ice cream treat.
When I was young, I probably focused on the ice cream. I didn’t realize the true meaning of the day. All those marching who represented the various branches of the Armed Services, the National Guard units, the VFW, and American Legion were not there for fun or ice cream. They were very serious men and women who marched to honor their friends who had been killed in the various wars. It was not a celebration for them but a somber salute.
These last few years have reminded me of the costs and sacrifices made by all the members of the military. My nephews and nieces have been to all the various “Hot Spots,” and my daughter has been in the Middle East for the past 13 months, so I have been a bit sensitive to the politics and fighting there. She is now back in the U.S. and on her way to a new assignment in Florida.
The institution of a volunteer military has removed many young men from the requirement that they serve. As a result, many of our citizens have lost that personal connection with the military and the sacrifices involved. Let’s all remember those sacrifices on this Memorial Day and be sure to support the troops, even if we don’t always agree with the mission they’ve been asked to do.
