This is not a day for veterans; their day is Nov. 11. Memorial Day is to honor those men and women who lost their lives while fighting under our nation’s flag to defend our freedom.

Every year at this time, I divert from my usual political commentary to urge you to do something appropriate on Memorial Day.

As I’ve continually reminded readers, this is not a day for veterans; their day is Nov. 11. Memorial Day is to honor those men and women who lost their lives while fighting under our nation’s flag to defend our freedom.

These honored dead never got the chance to become veterans, so they deserve some solemnity. Please do not offer someone a “happy” Memorial Day. It’s not for happiness. It’s for honor, remembrance and respect.

I am writing this from Springfield, where state legislators are sparring verbally over the budget. Their deliberations should be over by Memorial Day, which is a good thing, because it’s not a day to prove political points.

Rather, it’s a day to lay down political arguments for one day and reflect on the hundreds of thousands who died over more than two centuries, from Concord and Lexington to Gettysburg, from Omaha Beach to Afghanistan, to protect our right to have political debates and govern ourselves.

Area cemeteries offer Memorial Day services, and I urge you to attend one, whether you have a fallen warrior in your family or not. These men and women are all part of the American family.