 This is Tim Apocho of Think Tech Hawaii and we're here with Steve. Steve, I'd like to ask you about the Memorial Day weekend. And usually it represents the beginning of summer, but as you know, it's a very solemn holiday and do you think the holiday still has relevance? To some people it does. To me, I remembered my dad. He was in the military, so to me it does. Seems like a lot of people are having picnics and doing all the things that summer represents and that's a good thing and that's alright. But do you think that people are taking the time to really sit down with the meaning of the holiday and try to reflect on those that gave their lives for this country and whether it be the Revolutionary War or Civil War, all the other conflicts in between? Do you think people actually take the time to reflect that? Unfortunately, I think they don't. These parties that you say and picnics, they're just there to meet family and friends and they don't reflect on the past nowadays. Do you think the holiday has lost its significance at all? Yes, it has quite a bit. Anything we could do to repair that? No, I think the past is the past and pretty much everybody's moved on. Do you think it's time to come up with a new holiday or keep the Memorial Day holiday in existence? Well, I worked, so it doesn't really matter about a holiday or not. For a lot of people it's just another day off for them. Do you think the Memorial Day holiday is losing its meaning and its significance to most Americans? Absolutely. In what way? How are we losing its significance? Well, I don't think people have an appreciation for history like they used to. I taught in college for a number of years and young people know nothing about the Second World War. They know nothing about Pearl Harbor. They don't know who Dwight Eisenhower was. They don't know who MacArthur was. It's really kind of sad. Well, it's sad and disconcerting because thousands of people gave their lives for this country. Absolutely, absolutely. I had an uncle on Iwo Jima and a number of people I knew were in the Second World War. I was too young. I was about nine, I guess, when the war started and the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Well, given the sad state of affairs and I'm almost starting to agree with you, not quite, but I'm almost there. Do you think it's time to change the holiday or try to give it a new significance and meaning somehow? If they give it a new significance and meaning, you see, we just came from Ross. It's full of people. It took her almost 20 minutes to get through the cashier. I think so many people maybe think more of the fallen heroes than some of the younger people and a little more of the history were on the cruise ship and the first announcement I heard this morning was today is Memorial Day. It's the day of mourning for the lost heroes. It's a bit of an oxymoron to say happy Memorial Day. Absolutely. I always find that a little disconcerting when I hear that. I hope you have a happy Memorial Day. We're from San Antonio, Texas and of course the Alamo is famous there and we're reminded every day of the sacrifices that people made because if people hadn't come from Tennessee, people hadn't come from Kentucky, there wouldn't be a Texas, there wouldn't be a California, there wouldn't be a Western United States. It's helped to give us the life we have today. You know, we have one of the longest wars running in history, the United States right now, you know, in Iraq and Afghanistan. You would think that those generations that are, you know, grew up with this and are serving in those two conflicts that Memorial Day weekend would still have the impact and significance has had for many, many years. It's very unfortunate. It seems that there, so many people are distant from the reality that's going on. Every day people are dying in those countries you mentioned and yet it's just become, I don't know. Many people don't pay attention to it. Yeah, it's just every day occur that no one pays any attention to it. Reggie? Do you think that a Memorial Day holiday still has the meaning and significance it once had? Well, to me Memorial Day is really really honoring veterans who actually died. That's my, I'm a veteran so I know what Memorial Day is, but we kind of, in a sense we, in the 20's and early 20's the world advertises too much more of a day to just family or a day to just go out and barbecue, but a lot of times people forget what Memorial Day is. Thinking it's a day for veterans, but in actuality, is those that, you know, those who actually gave their lives for a very solemn occasion yet we have a lot of commercials at, you know, all the department stores at their Memorial Day sale. And is this somehow, it just seems like people have lost the true meaning of Memorial Day holiday? Yeah, I do agree with that. You know, I'm not, I'm not going to say it's a good opportunity for businesses and the business sector to get the opportunity because it's a holiday, everyone's off. Everyone usually is time for them to spend time with family. And it's the perfect opportunity. I'm not going to say that's a good, that's a bad thing. But I think as a country or as a community you need to better understand what Memorial Day is. You're a veteran. Did the significance of the holiday come up in your social circles over this weekend? Yes, you know, I still go I had the opportunity to go yesterday and just go down to the punch bowl. I didn't go to the ceremony but I just went out there and just, you know, spend some time and just, you know, look at some of the sides of just to be there with other folks within that doesn't have to be punch bowl anywhere. There's other, there's also the state cemetery as well. But it's more of me, my thing that I do on my own, whether it's Memorial Day or Veterans Day, it's just something that I chose to do. My family sometimes come with me but it's my own personal choice to do it. Memorial Day has significance in your heart for the day. I want to thank you very much for sharing your thoughts with Think Tech Hawaii. Mahalo.