When I was a child growing up in the late 50's and early 60's, Memorial Day
was a free day that you got off from school. That is how every child thought
about it. After all, that war which you knew that your dad and uncles were in
was a LONG, LONG, TIME AGO. They rarely talked about it and what
difference did it make? The thing that mattered now was hula hoops, Frisbees,
Rock and Roll music, 31 Flavors, riding bicycles, Troll Dolls, sitcoms, popsicles,
candy store, milk shakes, comic books, Good Humor man,  McDonalds 15 cent
hamburgers, James Bond, baseball, board games and the whole world was just
fine and dandy!

And it was always going to be like that.

As you got older, you got a lot smarter and you realized something.

Some people want wealth. Some people want fame. And some people want
POWER.

And unfortunately, it is the MEGALOMANIACS that are attracted to POWER

I used to play a board game called RISK where you try and take over the world.

The problem is that the MEGALOMANIACS that are attracted to POWER don't
want to play the board game, they want to do the real thing.

The most dangerous of these was Hitler.

This was a crazed maniac that wanted to take over the world.

And if 400,000 American men and women -- had not sacrificed their own lives,
he would have done so.

So as you go to your baseball games, parties, raves, restaurants, rock
concerts, malls and all the other things that you do for fun as part of the
American culture, you have 400,000 Americans to thank who gave their own
lives so you can enjoy yours.

And the 1.5 million active Americans in the military and the 1.5 million in reserve
who stand guard 24 hours a day so you can continue to have a great
time--because there is always another MEGALOMANIAC who wants to take it
all away from you.