I suspect most of us intuitively recognize that Memorial Day 2020 will in many ways be dramatically different than previous years due in large measure to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And yet the most important aspect of all -- namely the reason we Americans have celebrated this holiday for more than 150 years – remains as timeless as ever.

If you have a moment, I commend for your reading the words of Public Law 106-579 which reminds us that “…it is essential to remember and renew the legacy of Memorial Day, which was established in 1868 to pay tribute to individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the United States and their families.”

As I have shared in previous years, encourage you to please take time this Memorial Day to thank a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine or Coast Guardsman for their service on behalf of this great nation of ours, as well as to take a moment to gratefully consider the sacrifice made by our fallen and missing comrades in arms. On behalf of a grateful nation, may their service not ever be forgotten or taken for granted. As General of the Armies, John J. Pershing so succinctly put it many years ago: “Time will not dim the glory of their deeds.”

(Photo courtesy of the American Battle Monuments Commission)