This three-day weekend has become just another day off from work for most Americans. For us veterans, we need not be reminded of the reason.

The blank check that was cashed by our military brethren weighs heavy in our hearts and we are resolved to remember their sacrifice. Those who died serving in our great military protecting our way of life are remembered and honored on this special day. Whether it's attending a ceremony, a personal moment of silence, or placing flags on gravesites, it's the thought that counts.

Public acts of remembrance display patriotism to a populace that has waning regard to honor our veterans and families that have sacrificed so much during 62 military actions over 239 years that claimed 1.2 million American lives. Here in America, we have local, regional, and national ceremonies to honor those lives. Without remembrance, sacrifice is meaningless.

Worldwide, American Battle Monuments Commission administers, operates, and maintains 24 permanent American burial grounds on foreign soil, as well as 25 memorials, monuments, and markers to honor and remember our fallen. Established in 1923, ABMC commemorates the service, achievements, and sacrifice of U.S. armed forces. Cemeteries are located in 10 different countries throughout Europe, North Africa, Mexico, Latin America, and the Philippines.

Nearly all the cemeteries and memorials specifically honor those who served in World War I or World War II.

In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) said: " ... from those honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we highly resolve that these dead shall not have fallen in vain."

To that end, Memorial Day was born.

Decorating soldiers' graves in the U.S. became a tradition before and during the Civil War (1861-1865). The village of Boalsburg, Pa., claims to be the birthplace of the original Memorial Day on July 4, 1864, when graves of soldiers were decorated by ladies in the village. However, Warrington, Va., implies that the first Memorial Day occurred there on June 3, 1861, when a soldier's grave was first decorated.

Women in Savannah, Ga., decorated Confederate soldiers' graves in 1862. Originally known as "Decoration Day," the holiday gradually became known as "Memorial Day," and was first used in 1882. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed in Congress in 1968 moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a "convenient" three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its May 30 date to the last Monday in May.

Today, as in several Memorial Days past, we have a local unit engaging the enemy on foreign soil. Hayden's Army Reserve 455th Engineers are once again facing a stubborn enemy, this time in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During its tour in Iraq in 2006-2007, the unit became one of the most decorated in the Iraqi Theater. Its mission in Afghanistan is essentially the same as in Iraq.

After a train-up at the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, Calif., and Ft. Bliss, Texas, they deployed to the ancient hills and valleys once known as the focal point of the "Silk Road" and human migration. Their mission is route-clearing patrols, engineering missions, security, and training of locals.

According to H.Q. the unit will return sometime before the end of the year, and says "So far we are doing good," referring to the health and well-being of the troops. They deployed last August with a send-off for troops and families at Central Valley High School.

We await your safe return and you will be foremost in our thoughts today.

Jack Evensizer is a resident of Dalton Gardens.