Dear Editor: This year we observe Memorial Day on May 26. It is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.

It was customary to fly our flag at dawn then take it in at sundown. People would fly their flags but in the last several years fewer people display it. Lately, some people prefer to fly their flag daily and in that case, if the flag is properly illuminated at night, it is acceptable.

Approximately 15 million of us served during World War II. We are now in our 90s with only a few of us still alive. These old veterans were in their late teens and twenties when they operated Navy ships, submarines, fighter planes, commanders of bombers, infantrymen who stormed the beaches of Normandy, battled well-entrenched, heavily-armed Japanese soldiers on many South Pacific islands, fought their way across Europe – they served in every corner of the globe.

We are passing into history at over 1,000 veterans each day. Soon there will be none.

Byron Dillon

Downey

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Published: May 22, 2014 - Volume 13 - Issue 06