Picnics, cook outs and parades are often images that come to mind when one thinks of Memorial Day weekend. To me it is more than just a long weekend of fun in the sun. It is time to truly think of those loved ones lost but not forgot, our fallen comrades, our brothers at arms. I come from a very long line of military heritage. There isn’t a branch on my tree that doesn’t represent the military and what they have done for our country.

Many years ago during the first gulf war my father received news that he too must pack his gear and head off to an undisclosed location. This came at the worst time as he had just returned from a year long remote and we were just getting use to seeing him home. We didn’t know where he was going, when he was coming back, and if he would be the same. I was only 11 at the time but I remember it as if it was yesterday. I wrote him a long note of how proud I was to be his daughter and that I wanted him to fight the bad guy and win! Several months went by and the press announced there location. He was on a small island in the middle of the Indian ocean called Diego Garcia. We were not too worried but every night I remember my mom praying that he would return home safe and sound. I guess I never thought that he wouldn’t return. It wasn’t even a thought in my mind. My dad was deployed for 11 months and 3 days. He sent us pictures for the holidays and images of a base camp out of the story books. It was a hard year but nothing could have prepared us for the man that returned. We were waiting anxiously in the hanger as they announced the plane had arrived. I saw man after man pass by the ropes in front of me but when I saw that gleaming bald head and swagger I knew that man was my dad. I jumped over the ropes and into his arms faster then he could catch me (we ended up on the news that night). At the end of the walk way he dropped me to my feet and embraced my mom. It was more then just an “I miss you” hug. He was hurting. During his tour he lost 5 of his closest friends. My father was able to step of the plane and but they were carried with honor. So each year on the last Monday in May, I remember those friends and what they sacrificed for our country, what they left behind, and how they changed our lives forever.

Please keep all of our military members in your heart that are fighting overseas! They are men and women, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and friends…. But to me they will always be heroes and I will remember them all. Have a wonderful Memorial Day.

~Amanda, Sygnet Creations