This weekend we fly our flags to remember and honor all the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives for our country during active military service. We are filled with pride for these soldiers who protected us. And we are filled with humility as we ponder what they sacrificed so that we wouldn’t have to. They gave up watching their families grow up, ice cream cones on a hot summer day, the tributes and picnics that will take place on Monday. Let’s also offer a prayer for the loved ones they left behind–for small children whose only memory of their daddy will be a photograph and the stories they hear, the wives who must find the courage to go on, and the moms and dads who sacrificed their sons and daughters so that we can live free. And let’s also pray for our soldiers still in harm’s way, and the thousands of veterans still trying to reenter civilian life. We live in the greatest nation the world has ever known, but the protection for our way of life has been paid for in blood. To all of you who have been touched by war, we love you and appreciate the price you have paid for our American dream. God bless you.