On this Memorial Day...

Of all the choices we make in our lives, making the commitment to serve in the military, and risk paying the ultimate sacrifice, is a choice we all should honor. Not only can this work be trying for the individual, but also for their friends and family. It is a choice that should not be taken lightly, a choice that enables all of us to enjoy our many freedoms and live our lives without fear.

At this time, we honor the long-standing tradition of turning our focus to the men and women who have died serving our country. May their contributions be recognized, and their memory be honored and never forgotten.

Many of our citizens have expressed their sentiments in remembrance of those who have fallen. Take a moment to reflect upon the following profound quotes that honor our fallen heroes:

• “Sharing tales of those we’ve lost is how we keep from really losing them.” Mitch Albom
• “This is the day we pay homage to all those who didn’t come home. This is not Veterans Day; it’s not a celebration; it is a day of solemn contemplation over the cost of freedom.”  Tamra Bolton
• “And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier’s tomb, and beauty weeps the brave.” Joseph Rodman Drake
• “If silence is ever golden, it must be here beside the graves of fifteen thousand men, whose lives were more significant than speech, and whose death was a poem, the music of which can never be sung.” James Garfield
• “On this day, take time to remember those who have fallen. But on every day after, do more; put the freedoms they died for to greater and nobler uses.” Richelle E. Goodrich
• “Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay.” Barack Obama
• “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men lived.” George S. Patton
• “May we never forget our fallen comrades. Freedom isn’t free.” Sgt. Major Bill Paxton
• “…And if words cannot repay the debt we owe these men, surely with our actions, we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and to final sacrifice.” Ronald Reagan
• “The brave die never, though they sleep in dust, their courage nerves a thousand living men.” Minot J. Savage
• “I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty and freedom. It is the history of our nation, and it’s marked by the blood of those who died defending it.” John Thune

On this Memorial Day, as we continue to be impacted by the pandemic, let us extend our appreciation to our other defenders: public service workers, healthcare workers, firefighters, police officers, and other frontline personnel and essential workers who have lost their lives in service to us all.