Remembering the sacrifices of all Veterans, living and deceased, is important to me. These men and women risked their lives in order to fight for the United States of America. On Memorial Day, we remember those who died while actively defending our country and defending the lives of individuals in other nations. This Memorial Day, while you are enjoying the day off from work (in some places) and school, barbecuing with friends, family, and neighbors, as well as drinking or partying, keep in mind the real reason you are able to do these things.

While you are at a parade to commemorate Memorial Day, please remember that on July 2, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was voted in favor of by 12 of 13 colonies of what would become the United States. Our Founding Fathers established a nation of democracy and greatness when the document was signed a month later. Today, we take for granted the risk and danger that these men put themselves into. We don't really consider what drove these men to create their own nation.

Since 1776, the US has been involved in many wars for various reasons. While you are at a parade, remember that in 1865, the Union Troops won the Civil War, reuniting the Union. The Civil War should serve to us a reminder of what happens when we let our differences divide us; thousands and thousands of men died in combat to preserve the integrity of this nation. Their sacrifice should not go unremembered. No matter how grim and terrible, every war is an essential part of our history. Every man who died, Union and Confederate, died to preserves a cause that they believed was right given the knowledge that each had. We all are taught to fight for what we believe in. These men died for what they believed. When the Union won, the process of establishing equality for people of both genders and people of all races in the US began, leading up to the progress we have made as a nation today.

While you are at a parade, remember what happened on our own soil. On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was bombed, bringing the US into World War 2. On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked in a brutal manner through the hijacking of four airplanes. The loss of nearly 3,000 lives on that day encouraged a war against the group behind this attack. Since 9/11, the US has been at war in the Middle East. 9/11 is a reminder that no nation is safe from terrorism. No individual should take for granted the ability to wake up in the morning, but we are able to because of the men and women who are fighting to defend the values of this nation from desecration and destruction.

War is a touchy subject. We all would like to think that the atrocities of history never happened, because sometimes they are so unfathomable that we cannot comprehend the true degree of reality of those situations. I have to remember the conditions that US Soldiers endured: bulky uniforms and heavy equipment, hot or inclement weather, sickness, starvation, and fear. Then I have to remember the victims of the wars; I am reminded of the victims of the Holocaust. The Holocaust was an unimaginable event. How could six millions individuals be treated so inhumanly, then murdered? War is not just about the soldiers, but about the victims.

There are more wars than digits on my hands and feet that the US has been involved in. That is too many wars for me, but that does not matter. Regardless of how I feel, the focus of Memorial Day should not be on my feelings, or how any one else feels about war for that matter. Memorial Day should be focused on remembering the fallen men and women who stood at the front line and fought for the US, cared for civilians and soldiers, and made sure that the US remained a secure nation.

This Memorial Day, while you are at a parade, while you are at a barbecue with friends, while you are watching fireworks light up the sky, remember the fallen. Remember those who took a bullet to defend your freedom and your rights. Remember the strength of those individuals, and their determination to defend you. God Bless the souls of the fallen.