“Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington’s army, who died to give you liberty.”

This weekend, the nation pauses to honor our many heroes, known and unknown, who’ve likewise given the final sacrifice. Yet while what the rest of the world calls Remembrance Day is predominantly marked abroad with commemorations of the mournful, two-minute-silence sort, it’s an attribute of the Yank soul that on these shores Memorial Day is instead celebrated with the very gift our beloved dead’s sacrifice made possible: a bit more freedom, whether for barbecues, the beach, an extended getaway, or just loafing around the house.

— Rocco Palmo