Early Saturday morning, a 27-year-old man in Kentucky drove through a memorial cross display that was honoring over 5,000 veterans. The only logical reason I can see for him to drive through those crosses would be that he was drunk, but that is still no excuse.

A large part of the problem is that we’ve somehow managed to use holidays such as Memorial Day as an excuse to drink and be stupid and the real reason for the holiday always seems to get lost in translation. It isn’t just a three day weekend. Memorial Day is supposed to be a day to reflect and remember those soldiers who didn’t make it home, not an excuse to get drunk and party.

The younger generations, in particular, don’t seem to care about what the true meaning of any holiday is, they just know it is an excuse to party. I would like to sincerely apologize to any veteran or active duty soldier for the lack of respect shown by the younger generations toward such an important holiday. And, to the man who drove through those crosses, I just have one question: Why? Why would you willingly drive through a memorial that was set up in remembrance of those who died to protect you and your freedom? Without those people, you wouldn’t have had the freedom to even get in that vehicle and drive it through that memorial.

Your lack of respect for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we could all live with the freedom and privilege that we enjoy is honestly astounding. If you were trying to take a shortcut, I promise that the extra five minutes it would have taken you to take you the actual road would not have that much of a difference as to what time you arrived to wherever you were going.

The bottom line is younger generations have forgotten why we celebrate days like Memorial Day or they never really knew to begin with. Sure, it is nice to go out on the lake with your family or go to a cook out with friends, but that doesn’t change the reason we have the day off.

Memorial Day is supposed to be a day to reflect and remember those we have lost overseas, those special men and women who put on a uniform every day and make a vow to keep their country safe. I know it can’t be easy to be away from your family for months or even years on end. Being in the military is a great sacrifice in itself. Moms and Dads don’t get to see their kids grow up, and families are put into the position of only talking to their loved ones through a computer screen.

Every member of our military makes a sacrifice every day of their lives, and some pay the ultimate price. Memorial Day is a day to pay our respect to those who weren’t able to make the journey home to their families. If they can make that sacrifice for us, I think it only makes sense that we be willing to sacrifice partying on our three day weekend or at the very least, we can agree to not vandalize the memorials set up in their memory. Let’s show them the respect they deserve.