Today is Memorial Day. For many families it is just a weekend to mark the start of summer–a time for fun, picnics, parades, and more. While many of us celebrate with family and friends, families of those who have lost their lives in service to our country are still grieving and missing the ones they loved.

One of the sons of my long-time friends was stationed in Afghanistan several years ago. He loved being a Marine and he was Special Ops, not a position to be taken lightly! While in the middle of a mission his truck hit an IED. He was the lone survivor. His friends lost their lives that day, and he has been haunted by the survivor’s guilt and memories ever since. A severe concussion, sensitivity to light, balance issues, PTSD; all of it combined to render him unable to do his job any longer. With a medical discharge, he is permanently disabled, but you would never know it if you just sat down and had a conversation.

But he would tell you that today is not about him. It is about the men who were serving with him who paid the ultimate price for helping provide freedom from tyranny.

My brother-in-law, who was a medic in Vietnam (he was nicknamed “Doc”), would also tell you that today is about the many whose lives were lost during that conflict.

Yes, we honor our veterans. And Veterans Day is a wonderful opportunity to do that. But today, we stand and salute the ones who lost their lives during WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. May God bless the families who are haunted with the memories of a child, a husband, a wife, a brother or a sister who did not come home.

Memorial Day – a day to honor those who have given their lives for our freedom. We remember and honor them today.