Colonel Thornton: Remember those heroes who gave their lives Published May 19, 2009 By Col. William Thornton Commander, 412th Test Wing EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Most people will be spending this Memorial Day as part of a three-day holiday weekend. It has become an opportunity to enjoy friends and family and kick off summer recreational activities. I believe it is fitting that the entire weekend has evolved the way it has -- celebrating our freedoms and prosperity. However, we all need to make the weekend complete by remembering, in some substantive way, those heroes who gave their lives so that we would have all the freedoms we enjoy today! Please have a safe and memorable Memorial Day.