I took a walk in our local cemetery the other day. I found some GAR star graves. I found graves from World War I, World War II, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf Wars. There are others; I just remember these. I thought of each family as I passed another little flag placed by each veteran’s grave. I thought of the family of Cpl. Matthew Wallace. I thought of my grandpa, finally reunited with his brother who was killed by a sniper in World War II. I thought of the countless others.

I don’t care what your thoughts are on the current war. I don’t care what your thoughts are about the military in general. Today I honor those that gave their lives, something that I’m not particularly willing to do myself, so that we can have picnics at our leisure. So that we can rant about the government on our blogs. So that we can tuck our overtired children into bed on a Monday night after a long “holiday” weekend.

I will never be able to thank them for their ultimate sacrifice. I will never be able to repay their families for their loss. But, as always, we will strive to make sure my children understand why we go to a parade on Memorial Day morning and why we stay for the speech and the 21 gun salute afterward.

We are grateful. And we remember you.

And, yes, the boys got to ride in the fire truck for the parade today. BigBrother rode up front on Firedad’s lap as he sat in the passenger seat. I sat in back with LittleBrother. While BigBrother was more serious about his job as a firefighter, LittleBrother waved his little hand and said “hi” in his tiny little voice (so different from his older brother’s voice) as we passed the people on the sidewalk. They both enjoyed themselves.

They’re still too young to understand, of course. I told BigBrother that we were having a parade because it was Memorial Day. He repeated me and went on to talk about fire trucks. He doesn’t understand the concepts of war and death just yet. He doesn’t know that my good friend’s brother died almost three years ago… mainly because he was just about eight months old at the time. I did tell him, as we sat together during lunch, that we honor Soldiers who aren’t with us anymore on Memorial Day. He just smiled and said, Okay Mom! (When did he start calling me Mom? That’s a post for another day, I suppose.)

We will teach these boys, as I’ve said before, about those who have gone before them. We will teach them the importance of forming your own healthy opinions on issues like peace and war. We will also teach them the importance of respecting the military; those fighting, those fallen, those grieving. FireDad spent eight years in the Army and, if I’m honest, I’m relieved beyond measure that those years are now behind us. I have enough to worry about as it is, don’t I? I know we’ll teach them what we know about each war. We’ll look up the information. We’ll share our emotions and experiences regarding the one(s?) for which we were alive. But, I do think, most importantly, we will teach them those two things: to form their own opinions while maintaining that respect. I think that is the best thing we can do to honor those who have given their lives so that we may continue to teach our children in a way we find best fitting for our family.

Today the FireFamily honors those men and women who have given all.

FireDad is the grandson of two other Army soldiers. Paternal and maternal grandfathers also served our country. We have their photos on either side of a candid shot of FireDad graduating from Basic in frames on our wall in the living room. FireDad’s flag hangs above them all. My Grandfather who passed in September was a Veteran and my own father is named after his uncle who was killed in World War II. Uncles and cousins have served as well and I wouldn’t be surprised if this new generation of family (still to come for my younger relatives) had a few who joined the military as well.

Our family is touched on so many sides and in so many ways by the military. We are thankful on everyday, of course, for their service. But we pause today to actually verbalize our Thank Yous. We know how lucky we are to be able to say those thank yous. A very dear friend of ours lost her brother in 2006 and today we salute him and their whole family for the ultimate sacrifice. We continue to pray for and honor our soldiers whether deployed or at home or already retired from service.

Due to the very cold weather today, we won’t be joining FireDad for the Veteran’s Day parade today. And so, knowing that he will log on at some point in time today at work, we send our love and thank yous for his service not only to our family but to our country. We love you!

I’d write more, but why? My words could never begin to address the loss that so many families have had to endure. Our family is blessed by their families… and by FireDad’s past service. Our family is in tact, safe and secure in the FireHouse and we know that we have other families to thank. Our words will never be enough.

But trust me. We’re raising these boys to understand the sacrifices made on their behalf and to respect the people who endure those losses. While we picnicked and enjoyed family today and will on many a Memorial Day to come, we’ll always go to the parade to honor those who have fallen so that we may stand.

I asked Jess to send me something about her brother that I could share on this blog today. I wanted him to be the first soldier that this family honored in this series. Jess sent me the speech she gave at his funeral. And I’m still sitting here with tears in my eyes. I want to share a small snip-it to honor Matt and to simultaneously remind those who stop by exactly what the cost is for their freedom. No politics. This is just the way it is.

Matt, when I see people walking into churches without fear of reprisal, when I see children playing and families working together, when I go to sleep without worry and fly a flag in front of my home that I’m free to salute…I remember you. When I remember you, I think of the sacrifices you made so I could have these things. I think of your commitment and your service beyond mere duty. I think of all that you have given so that I can be free. I thank you as an American, but mostly I thank you as your big sister. I love you, I miss you, and I’ll see you when the time is right. March on, Soldier…you have my heart and my pride. We will not forget.

I told you about the tears.

I had the pleasure of meeting the rest of Matt’s family last year at Jess’s wedding. I felt as though I had known her parents for an eternity as well. I was welcomed with hugs and kind words. The atmosphere of a loving family made the day a beautiful success, despite the rain. And the presence of a soldier, not gone a full year at the time, was there as well. I may not have ever met Matthew, but through his family’s words and eyes, I’ve gotten to know him.

And today we honor his sacrifice. We stand at attention alongside his family and force others to remember as well. Matt, we thank you for everything. I’ve said it before, but you take care of Rose up there and we’ll meet someday.

Please visit CplMatthewWallace.com for information on donations to a memorial fund.

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Red, White and Blue Fridays came about over at This Full House by an amazing blogger named Liz. The point is to honor those in the military, past or present, a way to simply say, “Thank you” without the drama of politics. Liz started this as her (twin!) brother is set to deploy in 2008. Each week, we here at Stop, Drop and Blog will honor someone currently serving or someone who has served in our military. If you know someone who deserves a bit of honor, please e-mail me via the contact form.