Question

There's something about today, Memorial Day, that I don't understand.

It's always been my understanding that the purpose of Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was first known, is to remember those who have died in the many wars we have been involved in. Originally, the day was used to decorate with flags and flowers, the graves of those who died in the Civil War. Since this is a day to remember the dead, how can so many people wish a "Happy Memorial Day".

If a friend or relative died in a war, any war, and you are remembering him or her today, how can it be a "happy" day. Maybe, if you really stretch the meaning, it can be a happy day if you remember and thank the casualties of war for their efforts in preserving our freedoms, otherwise we should remember and thank the members of our armed forces, past and present, living and dead.

Maybe the day should be renamed Memorial Thank You Day.