Memorial Day, it is more than a BBQ day

One of the side effects of having foot surgery is the amount of time for reflection, reading and watching TV. (Especially when your husband reminds you what the doctor said – slow down!) TV is loaded with specials on projects to do around the house (let’s add that to the list), what to grill and to buy.

An email and a magazine story brought the whole weekend back to focus.

CH Edwards, MER, sent out a reminder about events on Monday. Our own wing chaplain, CH (Lt Col) John Hoffmann, will be among the scores of chaplains at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to honor those who gave their lives for their country. More importantly, CH Hoffmann is a veteran, having served in the US Army as a colonel.

In the June 2008 Washingtonian magazine is a story entitled “War Veterans.” It chronicles five different veterans of war, from WWII to Iraq. One of the veterans is our own Bill Andrews of Fairfax Composite Squadron. A colonel in the USAF, Bill is also a Lt Col in Civil Air Patrol, helping cadets to share his love of flying and aerospace education.

If it wasn’t for Civil Air Patrol, I would not know these two great veterans or the other great members that make up National Capital Wing. And here is a day that will honor the fallen comrades of Col Andrews and CH Hoffmann and of the countless other veterans in our wing and CAP.

Memorial Day is not just the day to light the grill – it is a day to remember and to say Thank You.