Monday was Memorial Day, the day when people throughout the United States remember and honor those who laid down their lives in the defense of America.

Memorial Day was first celebrated as Decoration Day in 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War. The Grand Army of the Republic, head of a group of Union veterans, designated the day as a time to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers.

After World War I, the holiday was expanded to honor all Americans who had died in war. In 1971, Congress designated Memorial Day a federal holiday.

It’s also a time that families traditionally use to get together for fun, games and tasty meals, usually on a barbecue grill.

I hope everyone reading this had a good experience on Monday and not only enjoyed the weather and some of the more pleasurable American traditions, but also remembered those who gave their lives for us so that we could disagree with our government without fear of retribution.

We at the Molalla Pioneer have rededicated ourselves lately to not only bring you the serious news that you have a right to know about, but also to bring you the good news about people doing the right thing in our community, in abundance. We are so committed to that goal that we recently created a special weekly page upon which you will only find good news about our community.

However, we would be remiss if we didn’t tell you all the news that we are aware of. So please, as we head into summer, understand that if we uncover any bad news about local business, the government, or anyone else — or any negative news for that matter — we aren’t writing about these things because we enjoy giving anyone a hard time. We are writing about these things because you, the readers and citizens of our community, have every right to know the truth.