Ambulance Driver has a terrific post about Memorial Day and what it should mean over at his place. It’s required reading, so go read.

I can only think of a couple of things to add. The best way to remember the sacrifice that soldiers have made through all the wars this country has fought in is to participate in the duties that they fought and died to protect. Here are a few things that we take for granted that we should do and remember those who died to protect our right.

Vote. Elections matter, as we found out in 2008 and will see again this fall. As citizens in no other country can, we can send a direct message to the politicians. We can vote them out of office. That’s a huge deal, ask people in China and Iran, to name a couple of countries. Even if there is no one you’re all that hot to vote for, there’s usually someone you want to vote against. Vote in every election there is, from the Presidential one to the one for tree warden. They all effect you in some way.

Own and shoot firearms. Americans are among an ever dwindling number of citizens who can own firearms with, for the most part, minimal restrictions. You don’t have to hunt, you don’t have to carry a handgun for self protection, but you should own and shoot a firearm. It’s a good way to teach yourself discipline and patience. It also keeps politicians and bureaucrats who would chip away at our freedoms just a little bit nervous. Why else do you think so many want to take them away?

Jury Duty. Yeah, everyone hates it. It’s a pain in the neck, costs money in the form of lost wages, and can be painfully boring. Yet, it’s important because the right to trial by a jury of our peers is a cornerstone of what makes this country exceptional. It’s a tradition we inherited from our British cousins, and they fought a lot of battles to secure that right. If you think a jury isn’t important, ask people from countries whose citizens are routinely locked up without trial or due process.

Speak out. Write a letter to the editor, or if you’re really bored, start a blog. Despite the desperate whining of public officials and the Lame Stream Media, people expressing their opinions about civic matters are not injurious to the process, they are part of the process. There’s even an Amendment to the Constitution that protects that right. If you feel really strongly about an issues, gather some like minded people and go somewhere to peacefully express your opinions. Sure, some people laugh at you, but that’s OK because they are expressing their opinions to. Try to keep it civil, OK? After all, we don’t want people to think we’re liberals.

Somewhere during the long and relatively peaceful years of the second half of the 20th Century we lost sight of what Memorial Day really is. It’s become one big party, and the unofficial start of summer. In reality it’s so much more and should be treated with the solemnity it deserves. Enjoy the day, but take time to remember why we have to have this holiday at all. It’s about the sacrifices of others in order that we can live the lives we want without interference from enemies foreign and domestic. That’s a gift worth taking a few minutes to be thankful for.