Memorial Day Message from Sen. Hatch

Happy Memorial Day! Dear Friends: As we gather with friends and family this weekend to celebrate Memorial Day, I hope we can all take a moment to remember the true meaning of this holiday and express sincere gratitude to our nation’s veterans who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of freedom. From Gettysburg to Heartbreak Ridge, Bellau Wood to Bastogne, and Kasserine Pass to Kandahar, millions of Americans have paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure, as President Abraham Lincoln put it, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  Today, thanks to the sacrifices of our veterans, America not only endures but inspires heads and hearts across the globe with a love of freedom and opportunity. Our military service men and women and their families are true heroes, and it is a great honor and sacred duty to pay homage to them at every opportunity – on long ago battlefields such as Gettysburg; at the graves of 5,000 Americans in a beautiful cemetery in Luxembourg; at the World War II, Korea and Vietnam Memorials on the National Mall in Washington; and to fallen Utah heroes, wherever they may rest.  These are not merely tourist stops or vacation destinations – they are sacred ground. So I hope you’ll join with me this Memorial Day weekend and pay tribute to sacrifices the men and women who don our nation’s uniform and their families make each day to protect our freedom. May God bless each of you – and may God bless the United States of America. Sincerely, Orrin Hatch