Just a few weeks ago, Veterans all over the United States held Memorial Day services. I am dedicating this article to all men and women who, in serving this great nation, made the ultimate sacrifice – they gave their lives for their country.

Take a look around you today. There are no bombers flying overhead in our skies. There are no military personnel in our streets. There is no artillery fire. We live in peace and freedom, but peace and freedom have never come cheap.

The cold winters we have experienced, with all the conveniences to be comfortable, cannot compare to the much colder and unbearable winter encountered by General George Washington and his nearly defeated army at Valley Forge more than 224 years ago. Their banner was the Union Jack with 13 stripes, used by the original colonies that started this great nation.

Halfway through the 19th century, as the nation grew to encompass more and more states and a greater territory, it found itself in a war within its boundaries – a war among ourselves, brother against brother. The United States survived the Civil War to become a greater nation.

In 1898, the Spanish American War was fought from April to August. It was the shortest war in the history of our nation. Of the 392,000 men who fought in that war with Spain, to bring peace to the Philippines and China, 11,000 gave their lives.

“Over There” and “Grand Old Flag” were two of the songs of World War I, the “war to end all wars.” That war ended with the armistice, at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. The flag they carried so proudly had 48 stars and our heritage of 13 stripes.

The year 1941 found American sons off to a war their fathers had hoped would never happen. World War II, from 1941 to 1945, was a global war. We had “Rosie the Riveter” on our side and the enemy had their “Axis Sally” and “Tokyo Rose.” The American troops carried the 48 stars to many lands and flew it as a sign of victory. Most memorable to many of us was the United States flag flying atop Mount Surabachi on Iwo Jima in 1945.

In the 1950s, we fought one of our first “no-win” wars. Fifty-three thousand Americans lost their lives in a seesaw battleground to save South Korea from the clutches of communism. From the frozen Chosin Reservoir to the Pusan Perimeter, the Americans carried a flag that soon grew to 50 stars with the addition of Hawaii and Alaska.

Then came the 1960s, and probably one of the most controversial wars in the history of our nation. Once again, lives were lost. More than 58,000 servicemen and servicewomen died in the line of duty in the jungles of Vietnam.

In our most recent war, the Persian Gulf War, 360 members of the armed forces gave their lives.

As stated at the beginning of this article, freedom is not cheap. In the eight wars the United States has participated in, more than 47 million served, and of that, there were approximately 1.1 million known deaths. Veterans, we salute you.