It's Memorial Day

     It's a day to remember fallen military personnel.  Many of them -- not all of them -- young, most of them -- not all of them -- male.

     War falls hardest on the most vulnerable.  We think of women, children and the elderly, but so, too are the "tip of the spear," the ordinary soldiers, sailors and airmen sent or swept into battle.  Presidents and Generals make their plans far removed from the fighting (and for good reason).  Those who fight and those who die are nearly always from the lower ranks, the bulk of them not career military; the man next door, the kid from across the street.  They may not have a deep grasp of the issues at hand in the conflict, and even if they did, nobody's asking their opinion.  They served.  They fought.  Some of them didn't come back.

     Don't forget them.  Don't lose sight of the ideals they fought and died for.  They could have been you, your father, your brother, your child.