Memorial Day is one of tose holidays in which sometimes the real significance gets lost in the formality. It’s important to honor the sacrifices made by our armed services personnel for our sakes, though not just one day out of the year. In a sense, setting aside this day almost ensures we take them for granted the other 364.

There is a group we do take for granted, however, every day (and today most of all) – the families. The sacrifice of a soldier in terms of their time, and risk, and sometimes their lives, are all done with a sense of duty. The family they leave behind has only pride to balance out the fear – two emotions both derived from love.

Further, those troops who return to us are also often forgotten, once out of physical harm’s way. They bear the burden of their service – a burden that doesn’t get the recognition it should. What is needed is more focus on those who lived than those who died.

Finally, it should be noted that the ultimate sacrifice of our uniformed personnel, which is the central focus of Memorial Day, should give us pause, for it places a heavy responsibility upon us. Naturally our troops are eager to go where duty demands and serve, because they are doing it for us. But they are indeed precious to us for that reason, and thus we have the duty to them to ensure that we do not send them to war for any reason less than absolute necessity.

I have close friends of my own who are serving in the Marines and the Army today and I pray for their health and safe return.