Today, we begin our weeklong tribute to the men and women that proudly serve this country. This first Memorial Day reflection comes to us from Representative George Ross:All across the Commonwealth we will gather on Memorial Day to celebrate and remember. In the often fast and furious world that we live in, we tend to forget those valiant men and women who serve or have served to preserve and protect our freedoms.
Our brave citizen soldiers have defended our great nation and given us all the ability to live free and prosper in order to become the greatest nation on earth. We must, on this day, reaffirm our commitment to their sacrifices and the values for which they have died. The City of Attleboro, which I have the honor of representing, has a long history of honoring its veterans. We have a number of organizations like the American Legion, VFW and disabled American veterans which are always there to ensure that the memory of our fallen heroes will always be kept alive.
While Memorial Day to some may be about picnics and good times, we must all pause and reflect on those who did not get the chance to return to their loved ones. They made the ultimate sacrifice. None of them ever asked for accolades and/or big parades.
As a Vietnam era veteran, I proudly served for five years in the US Army, and I am proud to help with organized efforts to honor our local returning service men and women. My own family is rich with military service. My son-in-law Cpt. Joshua Johnson will deploy in June to Afghanistan and my nephew, Cpt. Jason Castro, will deploy in September. As a member of our Veterans Committee, I have the opportunity to help our Massachusetts veterans and their families by supporting programs which will help them in their daily lives. We owe a great debt to our heroes and their families for their sacrifices, and I hope that I can make a difference and honor them in some way.
Today we remember our fallen brothers and sisters, and it is my sincere hope that we keep their memory alive within our hearts. We must always keep the ones that they left behind in our daily thoughts and prayers.
