Has Memorial Day lost its meaning? Or is it simply being redefined?

No, I'm not talking about the whole "Memorial Day is the kickoff for summer whoo hoo let's have a BBQ!" thing... this is more about the convergence of Memorial Day with Veteran's Day that seems to be occurring. I remember clearly when I was a kid that Memorial Day was all about those that gave their lives in service to our country. It was about remembering the people who had been killed while protecting our freedoms. Nowadays it seems that we see more and more focus on veterans of all kinds, both living, wounded, and dead during our Memorial Day festivities.

I was pondering this after our show tonight and I thought about another possibility... as our medical technology gets better and better, and more soldiers survive what in the past would have been deadly injuries, is it time that we start remembering those who made sacrifices of their bodies without paying the "ultimate price"? We give a lot of lip service to those who serve, however there's not a lot of programs in place to assist these modern soldiers who sustain brain injury or PTSD in the line of duty. Maybe it's time that we re-think our holidays to be more inclusive of those who live the rest of their lives in the shadow of their sacrifices for our country.

Just some food for thought on this Memorial Day...