Memorial Day is a time for Americans to reconnect with their history and core values by honoring those who gave their lives for the ideas we cherish.

More than a million American service members have died in the wars and conflicts this nation has fought since the first colonial soldier took up arms in 1775 to fight for independence. Each one who died during those conflicts was a loved one cherished by family and friends. Each perished soldier was a loss to the community, the nation, and most of all, to their own family.

The observance of this day was born out of compassion in 1863, during the Civil War. In1882, the nation observed the first official Memorial Day as a day set aside by Congress to remember and honor the sacrifice of those who died in all our nation’s wars.

. For decades, Memorial Day was a day in our nation when stores closed and communities gathered together for parades and other celebrations with Patriots. Then, Memorial Day meant ceremonies at cemeteries around the country, with speeches honoring those who had given their lives.

In some places, these ceremonies continue, upholding the true meaning of Memorial Day. People come to honor the dead and show their respect for military service to our country. They understand that on Memorial Day, we honor the ideas and values those soldiers stood and died for.

Sadly, many Americans have lost this connection with their history. All too many Americans today view military service as an abstraction, an image seen on television or in the movies. For a growing percentage of the American people, Memorial Day has come to mean simply a three-day weekend vacation or a shopping day. Families might still gather for picnics at the lake, but for many of them the patriotic core of Memorial Day – the spirit of remembrance – is absent.

How will you show your loyalty to our country and appreciation to those who made the ultimate sacrifice? I hope will each one of us will take the time to remember those to whom we owe so much. God bless you, and may God bless all those who have served this great country.

Publisher’s Note: The Guest Contributor, Gerald Dial represents District 13 in the Alabama Senate, which includes all or parts of Randolph, Lee, Cleburne, Clay, Cherokee, and Chambers counties. He is a retired Brigadier Army General in the Alabama National Guard.