Memorial Day, time for the big sale down at the mall, time to stock up on beer, have a cookout, maybe go to a baseball game right? Well that's what it has turned into.

The true meaning of Memorial day is becoming lost to so many younger generations, that in time, all it will mean to anyone is a big sale or party.

Today, Pat and I were driving down the main drag of our new home town, and at the exit of I-95 where you would get off to go to our little town, was the main sign for our town. It was landscaped, had a pond in front of it, and a flagpole. As I sat at the light, I asked Pat if she saw what was on the flagpole.

Sure enough, she was as surprised as I was to see beneath the Stars and Strips, a Service Flag.

OK go ahead and scratch your head if need be, because unless it is just me, I have not seen one of these for many, many years, hell decades even!

Here is a little history;
"A service flag or service banner in the United States is an official banner that family members of service members in harm's way can display. The flag or banner is defined as a white field with a red border, with a blue star for each family member in active duty. A gold star (with a blue edge) represents a family member that died during service, without specifying cause of death."

Why did I know what that flag was? Because back in 1969, Pat bought one, and had it hanging in the living room picture window for the whole world to see. That was not a popular thing to do during the Vietnam War, but she did. It was in the window the day I got home, and then it was taken down and put away.

So I went to the closet, dug out a box that has been hidden in the back, opened it up, and there it was. Still intact, a little faded, but intact. It was in good company, next to my medals that were given to me during my time in the Army. I showed Pat, and she looked at it for a while, then I put it back in the box.