May 27, 2019

As we observe Memorial Day today amid cookouts, family get-togethers and other events, let’s also recall the holiday’s original intention: to honor those who died in the service of our country.

Some say it first was observed in the South, during the Civil War. Others say Abraham Lincoln inspired it with his dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg in 1863. Still others credit African-Americans in Charleston who marched in 1865 to honor Union soldiers who’d died in a nearby Confederate prison camp. In the decades that followed the war, it also became an opportunity for “Blue-Grey Reunions,” events of reconciliation between veterans of the two armies. Whatever its specific origins, it’s a day to reflect on the causes and costs of war, to remember those who have fallen, and to recommit ourselves to healing divisions that might separate us today.

On behalf of our entire Colorado State community, please join me in remembering and honoring this day and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to this country.

-tony

Dr. Tony Frank
President