What significance does Memorial Day have for you?
For many, this holiday holds significance because of friends and family who are currently serving our country overseas.
Though Memorial Day is a national holiday meant to honor men and women who have died while serving in the military, for many the servicemen and women remembered on the holiday include contemporary service members, as well as those who have died.
That is the result of an informal Memorial Day weekend survey, conducted by a Times reporter who asked young people in Oak Bluffs to explain what Memorial Day means to them.
Eli Bembenek
Eli Bembenek, 28, is an army officer stationed in New Haven, Conn. He said that Memorial Day is for remembering his friends and colleagues who he served with.
"Considering I'm in the army,
I like to remember all the guys
I went to Iraq with, and all my buddies that are there now," he said.
Brittany Webber
Brittany Webber, 24, from Tampa, Florida, put it this way.
"[Memorial Day] is a day when we're supposed to remember those who fell for our country. To me, it's a day of remembrance," Ms. Webber said.
Sandy Paasche
Such is the case for Sandy Paasche, 23, of Mashpee. "Two of my really good friends are in Iraq now, so today makes me think of them, and how grateful I am to be in the U.S. where we are free," she said.
Troy Kos
Oak Bluffs resident Troy Kos, 22, has family ties to the armed forces that span generations.
"I have a brother in Iraq, and my grandfather fought in the Battle of the Bulge," he said. "I think we celebrate this holiday to honor those who respect what we believe in."
