Hot dogs and burgers appear on menus. And as families prepare to pull out the paper plates and slice the watermelon, they may consider adding a simple tradition to make Memorial Day truly meaningful.VETERAN OF IRAQ WAR SHARES INSIGHTS ON IMPORTANCE OF HONORING FALLEN HEROES THIS MEMORIAL DAYCreating "The Missing Hero Table" — or setting an extra place and empty chair at the family table — is a way to remember the soldier who never came home. FILE - US flags are set next to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument by the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund for Memorial Day, in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 26, 2023. (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) Memorial Day is more than just a three-day weekend, of course. It’s the federal holiday set aside each year to honor and mourn those who gave their lives for our country’s freedoms.