Memorial Day is not all about sales...

Memorial Day is not all about sales and sleeping in

This is not a guilt letter. It is not meant to cause hand-wringing

or sleepless nights. Think of it as a light touch on the shoulder, a

friendly reminder, a gentle whisper. The dead cannot hear us.

Memorial Day is approaching. The most sacred of American holidays

is a few days away. I look to it with silent sadness for it reminds

me of so much lost; so many lives- so young. For me it is a day of

reflection as it asks the questions: “What have I done with this

freedom, purchased by those who passed before me? Have I served their

memories well?”

A few years back, my kids came home from school and cheered at the

prospect of a three-day weekend. Curious, I asked each of them what

they were told on the Friday preceding Memorial Day. Each one said

they were told to “enjoy the three-day weekend.” Nothing more.

I was shocked.

Needless to say, my three children spent the weekend learning

about what Memorial Day really meant. They vowed never to forget.

I think of soldiers who stepped off boats into waters thousands of

miles from home, facing horrific artillery fire, realizing they will

never come home; of soldiers jumping out of planes into the darkness,

wondering what awaited them; of Marines and infantrymen charging up

hills in countries foreign and hostile, fighting for footholds in the

land. They did these things in the face of great adversity, with

courage, and honor, and might.

It’s not about the sale at the department store. It’s about

remembrance, prayer, and reflection. War is tragic and brutal and

horrific, but there are those who gave their lives to uphold the

values of freedom and democracy for generations of Americans they

would never know. They sacrificed so that we could “enjoy our

three-day weekends.”

I try to celebrate life and all its wonder. I will work hard to

remember the sacrifice of those who allow us the gift of freedom.

It’s been paid for, dearly, by those whose memories we should honor.

CARL E. OSSIPOFF

Newport Beach

Cities cross 19th Street bridge when they come to Gisler

Why would Fountain Valley have any interest in the 19th Street

bridge? They don’t have any use for it, so coupling the bridges is

not a good idea (“Cities have little time in bridge fight,” May 15).

Newport Beach would have no interest in the Gisler bridge, so why

would they vote on it? Because both bridges should not be coupled

together, they are two different things.

If Costa Mesa officials were at all farsighted, they would have

thought about the traffic that they generate when they OK’d the

Segerstrom project, the Home Ranch project. I think they didn’t help

the city at all.

ALAN REMINGTON

Costa Mesa