Sunday, May 28, 2017

Memorial Day 2017: Honoring All of Our Fallen...

On Memorial Day 2017 in the United States, we remember those who have defended our freedoms and our Republic.  As the sound of modern aircraft lift off in the distance and the 50 stars and 13 stripes of our flag wave in the wind, we pause.

This day, is about a visit to Arlington National Cemetery or another ceremony, to stand and remember those who you once knew:


Neil was just one of those who have served our country with distinction and honor in Special Operations.  A man who did not die, as a result of fighting in the Civil War, World War I or II, the Korean War, or Vietnam.  He served our country with courage in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT):

"Neil Christopher Landsberg of Frederick, Maryland, passed away May 9, 2013. Born January 13, 1980 in Wichita, Kansas, he attended Thomas Johnson High School, Frederick, MD and Valley Forge Military Academy in PA. He graduated from the Citadel, Charleston, SC and served with distinction as a Captain in USAF Special Operations receiving the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He was employed by Blackbird Technologies."

As we bow our heads this Monday, May 29, 2017, think about our United States and about the less than 1%.  The less than 1% of U.S. citizens who have made so many sacrifices in life, for our country.  You also have to include a tremendous thank you, to all of those family and friends who were and still are the support system for our service members.

Just up the Potomac River in Langley Virginia, there are 125 or so Stars on a Memorial Wall.  These remember those individuals from the CIA who have also fallen, in the line of duty to our nation.  They too are acknowledged and remembered this Memorial Day.

 What can you do on this day to "Honor our Fallen":
  • Donate or volunteer for a cause that was important to them
  • Write them a letter
  • Talk about them
  • Fly the American flag high
As you navigate your daily routine on Tuesday, reflect on all that Neil and the hundreds of thousands of others have given their life for:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."