What a country!! It's Memorial Day 2009 and I have a day off to do whatever I want! And what have I done? I woke up about 7:00, got energized with a cup of French-pressed Sumatran coffee that tastes as good as it smells, read the newspaper, then decided to fix breakfast and then remembered I had a survey I needed to put together and include with an eblast. I know, I know, that's a lot like work.


What's my point? Just this - I get to do anything legal (and what Sherrie says is okay for me to do) that I want because there have been those over the years who were willing to put themselves in harm's way to insure I had the freedom to do so. My father-in-law was in the Navy on Guadalcanal in 1943 and 1944. I have to remember to call and thank him today.


And if you ever thought you'd like to know more about the battles of World War II, there's a tour you have to take. Click here to see information on the finest tour of its type around. Sherrie and I had the opportunity to take a side trip to Normandy and see Omaha Beach, the cliff the U.S. Rangers climbed and the American Cemetery. It was one of the more moving days of my life and it was but a single destination of the tour offered by Image Tours. Call us at 800 888-0922 or 615 833-0922 for details.

Click on this link to see some of the photos we took at Normandy.

Do you know the history of Memorial Day? Originally called "Decoration Day", the day was set aside after the Civil War to decorate graves of Union soldiers killed in the conflict. In fact, the official name was Decoration Day until it was changed to "Memorial Day" in 1967 and then changed by the Uniform Holiday Observance Act of 1971 to be the last Monday in May. And because it was a "Yankee" holiday, most if not all Southern states did not observe the holiday until the sixties. In fact, there are still some states and companies that don't recognize it fully by giving employees the day off. For some, the Recent War of Yankee Aggression culminating in Sherman's "Retreat to the Sea" through Atlanta and environs is still fresh on their minds and they'll Never Forget.

The next time you travel about the U.S. without hindrance and document checks, remember a veteran.