Freedom is not free…

Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday in May, commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Services.  It originates from “Decoration Day,” which was first observed three years after the end of the Civil War and which served as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.  In 1971, Congress made Memorial Day a federal holiday by official act.  In December 2000, Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act.”  The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation.

We should all be grateful for the sacrifices made by those who have served in the Armed Forces.  Not only have those individuals protected us from harm, but they have protected and secured the constitutional rights that we enjoy as citizens of this great country.  Among those are the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution that guarantee all citizens certain rights that are utilized in courts of law every day in both civil and criminal cases.  We should never take these rights and liberties for granted, and we should always remember those who have died to protect them.

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