Chalk the dust the fingers of those who solemnly pay their respect in room 2506.

Katy ISD made the decision to take back the previously scheduled holiday Memorial Day, so Global Vine adviser and first year teacher Micheal Marrie chose to celebrate the day in class.

On the  wall on the side of his classroom, Marrie erased the previously drawn plans for film shoots and school day assignments. Taking place on the empty chalkboard were three words: ‘Memorial Day Wall’.

Students throughout the day were asked to write down the name of family members, friends and acquaintances who served our country. Scattered among the names are World War veterans, heroes of Vietnam and the Gulf War and troops from recent events such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

The names of those remembered grow exponentially with each passing class. From the first 25 students were 18 veterans and counting.

On this Memorial Day everyone should take time to evaluate how we receive our heroes at home.

Heroes who valiantly protect our rights and other human entitlements are not given open arms back home. We deny them their right to pursue happiness, a ‘god given’ privilege. Soldiers often have to give up their personal happiness to provide for our country.

They leave families behind as they dawn our colors. They fight on battlefields we elected through the people who we’ve put into authority. And those who are left behind, like family members and other dependents, struggle to stay afloat in turbulent times with  insecure backing from the government and a family member in war. When the survivors return, we ignore them. We choose to not acknowledge the scars, and slowly come to bandage those who rapidly laid down their life for us. Our veterans can not return to their civilian lives because of the inevitable change serving our country has on them.

This is Memorial Day, and for those of you who have yet to acknowledge it – let us remind you. In museums, threatened by the people in our Congress are relics of those who died for you. In the smiles of joy or sorrowful tears of those who see family members return, in boots or in coffins. In room 2506 where students enter a room free of distraction to lineup and remember our heroes and saints.

Remember those who valiantly risked so you could have a today.

This is not national barbecue day.

This is not national sleep in day.

This is not national get-out-of-work day.

This is not senior skip day.

Today is Memorial Day.