memorial day is a day i take very seriously. i don't think anyone here knows this, but i lost my birth father in korea. he was shot down & gave his life so very shortly after he gave me mine. i never knew him, & my mother was unable to care for me. i was adopted by the only parents i knew. wonderful people, & my adoptive father served in the navy in ww2. after they passed, & i moved up here, i took the time & effort to learn my birth father's name. not to track down family, but to know where to go in arlington cemetery to spend some time there , mostly on labor day. monday was my 12th year of doing this. it is incredibly humbling to see the acres of seemingly unending lines of grave markers, & to know this is only a VERY small portion of the similar grave sites scattered around the world. all the monuments & awe inspiring buildings in our capitol don't seem to mean much after you've been to arlington. silent & simple, it means so much to me......