Memorial Day is for more than just shopping, marine says
The upcoming Memorial Day holiday should be about more than just barbecues, shopping excursions and trips to the beach, according to a US Marine, who said he’s concerned Americans have forgotten the real meaning of the day.
“It’s more of a commercial day. It has lost its meaning,” Lt. Col. Richard Bordonaro told a roomful of military veterans at a breakfast event in Bay Ridge on May 16. “What we’ve lost is reflection of what the holiday is about,” he said. Many Americans don’t take the time to think about the holiday’s purpose – to honor those who have died in America’s wars – he said.
Bordonaro, an inspector-instructor with the Marine Corps 6th Communications Battalion, was one of two military men receiving awards from state Sen. Marty Golden (R-C-Bay Ridge-southern Brooklyn) at the lawmaker’s annual Memorial Day Breakfast at the Bay Ridge Manor Thursday morning. Golden traditionally holds the breakfast a few weeks before Memorial Day. Howard Dunn, a World War II Navy veteran, was honored along with Bordanaro.