Today we celebrate the national holiday called Memorial Day first observed in 1868. It is a day established for us to remember all members of the United States military who gave their lives protecting our freedoms and rights as citizens of the United States of America. Originally observed each year on May 30th, its observance changed in 1971 to the last Monday of each May. When I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s our family would take this holiday to visit the graves of fallen soldiers where we lived and my parents would tell us the importance of remembering what these men and women sacrificed so we could live with the rights and privileges guaranteed by our constitution and Bill of Rights.