This Memorial Day, columnist Diane Evans reminds us of the point of the holiday: "Take time from whatever you're doing to remember those who went before you, without whom you wouldn't have the opportunities you have today." And she suggests some good reading to help us do just that.

Have a blessed Memorial Day, and make sure to take time to remember.

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[Jason Taylor]

Some Books:

Crucible of War: one of the best books written on the French and Indian war, describes how cultural and political stresses that began at that time led to the American Revolution.

Albion's Seed by David Hackett Fischer: described the cultural orgins of what the author believes to be the four main cultural orgins of America. A must for anyone like me who once felt a sort of regret at thinking that America does not have a musty, attic-clogging old past like the rest of the world.

The Drillmaster of Valley Forge by Paul Lockhart: A biography of the forgotten Prussian mercenary who trained the Continental Army and "made it Army Strong".

Champlain's Dream by David Hackett Fischer: a biography of the founder of Canada, an admirable man who built the French Colony into a prosperous institution, kept peace between colonials and Indians and established a healthy relationship. He was a true swashbuckler in the Errol Flynn tradition but he was also a man with the right degree of "hardness" and yet the right degree of compassion and wisdom. A difficult combination and seldom achieved.

Fields of Battle by John Keegan: An English military historian describes his tour of America.

Daily Life in the Age of Sail by James and Dorthy Volo: A look at the maritime heritage in which America plays a substantial part. In many ways Democracy was made by the sea. The sea teaches a balence between discipline and initiative. It builds and empowers a middle class with leaders that are fammilier with organization, risk-reward calculation, and anticipating the vagaries of international relations. And so on.

Time-Life: the Seafarers, the Old-West both classic series.

America's Fighting Admirals by William Tuouhy: about the generation of officers that lead the Navy to victory back in World War II when, at sea if not on land, a star on one's collar was not yet necessarily a sign of immunity from enemy fire.

The Empire Builders: Robert Ormund Case

A collection of folktales about the settling of Oregon, once told orally during the fifties.