Honoring our heroes on Memorial Day

Many families across Central Washington spend Memorial Day weekend − the unofficial start of the summer vacation season − enjoying the weather outdoors at barbecues, county fairs, and on hiking trails.

More importantly, Memorial Day is a time when communities across America gather to pay tribute to the heroes who have bravely put on a uniform and answered the call of duty to defend the United States of America.

From the very beginning of our nation, Americans have answered the call of duty to protect the principles of liberty, freedom, justice, and equality around the globe.

Whether it was in battles during World Wars I and II, Vietnam, Korea, or more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, our servicemen and women have sacrificed their lives to keep our nation safe and free.

In 1868, only three years after the end of the Civil War, Major General John A. Logan announced a new holiday, called Decoration Day, would be observed on May 30 at Arlington National Cemetery.

By the end of the 19th century, cities across the country were holding ceremonies on and designating May 30 as Memorial Day.

After World War I, the ceremonies expanded to remember all troops who had fallen in all American wars. In 1971, Congress officially declared the last Monday in May a national holiday − Memorial Day.

Our State of Washington is home to more than 601,000 veterans and over 65,000 active duty and reserve officers. In Central Washington, our pride in our men and women in uniform runs deep.

We value their service to our country and we recognize the sacrifices these members of our Armed Forces and their families make are critical to preserving our country’s freedoms.

Our brave men and women wake up every day and put their lives on the line, so that we can go to work without fear and raise our children in a free society.

Thanks to their bravery and sacrifice, we are privileged to live in a nation where individuals continue to voluntarily put themselves in harm’s way in order to preserve the values that generations of Americans have held so dear.

And for that, they deserve our utmost gratitude and respect.