1) I delivered the Memorial Day Keynote Address at an @AmericanLegion Post a few years back. The whole thing is on YouTube, but here are the final paragraphs that still resonate with me today:

2) "And while we may have been spared death, it is up to us to remember why they died. It is up to us to proclaim to the world that our friends, our brothers, and our sisters died so that our way of life could go on."

3) "It is our inherent responsibility to remember that in every generation, the preservation of our nation requires brave men and women to stand up in defense of our liberties, to be willing to lay down their lives for a cause greater than themselves, to make..."

4) "...the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow warriors on the front lines or in the trenches with them. It is this call to duty that each of us experienced at one point or another that allows our republic to continue to exist."

5) "While our country has unbelievable challenges facing it – militarily, internationally, and domestically – it is still the greatest nation on earth. But if the day ever comes when young men and women no longer answer that internal call to serve, that will mark the..."

6) "...beginning of the true decline of our country as we know it. And that is why Memorial Day is so critical – not only does it remind us of the grave sacrifices of our friends and family members, but it also lets us know that our republic is still alive and well."

7) "Because for as long our nation exists, there will always be – there has to be – more memorials, as that heavy price in blood will always be the true cost of freedom."