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Memorial Day marks the recognized start of summer, and it is a time when vacation plans, cookouts and diversions from day-to-day activities take center stage. It also is a time to remember those who have served this great country by defending it on shores both foreign and domestic. What better way is there to combine trips and tributes than to travel to the Alabama Gulf Coast, home to some of America's most storied military history?Having three forts in relative proximity shows the importance the area has had in defending its occupants, no matter who they were. The official Web site for Dauphin Island states that the island and Mobile Bay were mapped almost five hundred years ago, in 1519. For about two hundred years, French colonization of the Gulf Coast had its headquarters on Dauphin Island. The British and the Spanish also had, for a time, control of the area, until the War of 1812.It took until 1853 -- after fits and starts that included completely scrapping the original design -- to build a fort on Dauphin Island. Here is how the Web site describes it:"The fort's plan called for ten guns to be mounted on top of each of the five walls. Each bastion contained emplacements for four flank howitzers. The design of the walls, with their brick and sand construction, allowed them to absorb any artillery fire. A dry moat, crossed by a drawbridge, extended thirty-five feet from the base of the walls. These features ... would keep enemy ships out of western Mobile Bay and would resist an attack from the land side of the fort."In 1853, Congress named the fortification for General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, who had died in 1849. While still a young officer, Gaines received national recognition when he led the detachment which captured former Vice President Aaron Burr, who had been accused of participating in a conspiracy to commit treason."Wars continued, as did the development of Fort Gaines. The Confederate States of America added its touch in 1862, while the 1898 Spanish-American War brought additional changes. More from the Dauphin Island Web site:"The fort served in World War I with a Coastal Artillery unit garrison manning the disappearing guns. The site also became an anti-aircraft gunnery school during and following the war."World War II saw the fort used as a camp site for the Alabama National Guard and a base for the U.S. Coast Guard stationed there to operate against enemy submarines prowling the Gulf in search of merchant vessels. Presently the Coast Guard uses its base there to take part in crash rescue boat operations."For two hundred seventy-five years, Fort Morgan has guarded Mobile Bay. The walls have stood through four wars, and history has echoed from them. The fort played a key role in the Battle of Mobile Bay, and the declaration, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" reverberated there.Now, Fort Morgan is home to a museum housing artifacts of its role in history as well as pieces from  the people who served and lived and died there. An annual living history program takes place here, and the fort is open for tours.While Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan are reminders of wars among nations, Fort Mims is a testament to wars among peoples. The Web site of the Alabama Historical Commission states that Fort Mims was a hastily constructed fortification around a plantation owned by a local farmer, Samuel Mims. It was erected in the wake of an attack on the Redstick faction of the Creek Indians earlier in 1813. While many Creeks had intermarried with American and European settlers, Redsticks opposed the spread of U.S. influence and voted to go to war.After weeks passed without retribution from the Redsticks, those living in Fort Mims let their guard down. On August 30, 1813, about 700 Redsticks entered the fort through an open gate. They fired on occupants through shoddy gunports. When the Massacre at Fort Mims, as it came to be known, ended five or six hours later, more than five hundred were killed, including most of the women and children. The site is in Tensaw.Those visiting Alabama will want to make a point to visit the Alabama -- The Battleship USS Alabama, that is. Billed as "America's Most Unique Military Attraction," Battleship Military Park is home to both "The Mighty A," as the Alabama came to be known during her service in World War II, and The Submarine USS Drum. About two dozen aircraft are on exhibit in the park, and the military equipment collection includes items from service eras including Vietnam and Iraq. Several tanks are part of the collection.With the ground and waterways covered, it's time to fly over to nearby Pensacola, Florida, for a visit to the National Museum of Naval Aviation. More than 150 restored aircraft are on display, and there are more than 4,000 items to see that represent Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Aviation. Those who feel the need for speed can check out a flight simulator or view an IMAX film that puts one almost in the cockpit with the world-famous Blue Angels. Best of all, admission to the museum is free.This year, make Memorial Day a memorable day by taking time to soak up some history, military-style, on the Alabama Gulf Coast.