SALUTE for Memorial Day
The auditorium at the American Legion building was standing-room only when Post 341 celebrated Memorial Day on Monday morning. The crowd ranged from World War II veterans to toddlers.
Keynote speaker Mark Galloway, a retired Army major, earned a standing ovation when he asked the crowd to remember the
meaning of Memorial Day.
The day started as a way of honoring soldiers killed during the Civil War but was expanded to honor casualties of all American wars, he said. One way to remember what Memorial Day is about is to use the acronym “SALUTE.”
During basic training in the army, soldiers learned SALUTE to help in recognition. If they saw the enemy, they were reminded to notice size, action, location, unit (or uniform), time and date, and equipment. If they reported those details, the enemy might be identified early.
For Memorial Day SALUTE means: Seek, Attend,
Live, Unite, Taps (and Thanks), Engage.
Seek means to look for POWs, MIAs or their remains. Every soldier should be accounted for, Galloway said.
Attend means to attend ceremonies like the one at the Legion Post and bring along friends and family, especially young people.
Live to be worthy of the sacrifice others have made.
Unite as a nation. Forget about red states and blue states. Stop referring to Americans with a hyphen attached. Everyone is just an American and we should be working together as a nation.
Taps (or Thanks) is a reminder to honor veterans.
Engage means to be a good citizen and work toward the good of the country.