May 25 is Memorial Day 2026.
The federal holiday specifically set for mourning U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Though people mean well, you don’t want to wish someone a “Happy Memorial Day,”for obvious reasons. Amongst having the day off, fine family cook outs and endless sales at stores, try to remember the true meaning of the day.
One way to do that is to participate in the National Moment of Remembrance today at 3 p.m. All we are asked to do is pause for one minute to remember those who have died while serving our great country. May we never forget their courage and sacrifice. A perfect greeting for today is this: “Today, let us remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.”
Or simply, “I wish you a meaningful Memorial Day.”
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Though I have been a “newscaster” occasionally over my many years in radio and television, (most notably the number of times I was asked to fill in for one of the best ever, Paul Harvey), most of my career has been spent as a talk show host, or, “opinion-caster.” That being noted, I must admit I’m having trouble following the thinking of the “mainstream” or “institutional” media.
I’m not talking about the slanted coverage of politics. I’m talking about the over-weighted coverage of the hantavirus for several news cycles, and the now under-weighted coverage of the much more dangerous and contagious Ebola virus. Recently, a plane originally coming into Detroit from Paris was diverted after a passenger from the Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of Congo boarded.
Paul W. Smith is host of “Focus” on WJR-AM (760) from noon to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Remember Memorial Day’s true meaning | Paul W. Smith
Reporting by Paul W. Smith / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect


