Memorial Day

I enjoy doing the Jumble word puzzle each day and appreciate the fact that on holidays the puzzles are pertinent to the holiday. Monday, the cartoon showed two men putting U.S. flags on the headstones in a cemetery, possibly Arlington, and the punchline was, “Remember that the last Monday in May is Memorial Day and you should never forget.” This certainly captures the reason for which the day was established. However, what disturbed me was that the rest of the newspaper was noticeably void of articles on Memorial Day. Hundreds of thousands of American men and women have died fighting for freedom, including freedom of the press, and the Houston Chronicle chooses to use its freedom to ignore their sacrifice? There are so many interesting aspects to Memorial Day: its connection to the Civil War; why it was first called Decoration Day; why people sometimes wear red poppies on Memorial Day; when it became a national holiday; the 3 p.m. moment of reflection; and the difference between it and Veterans Day.

Certainly the Chronicle could have found something to write about. Thinking about the absence of articles put my thoughts in a jumble. I still can’t figure it out. Dorothy Doggett, Houston

Being grateful this week for all the men and women in our armed services who made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives to safeguard our well-being.

It seems like the wearing of masks or respect for social distancing to safeguard the well-being of our fellow Americans is such a small sacrifice. Mark Ciesielski, Houston