Monday was Memorial Day, a day set aside since 1868 to honor those who have died in service to their country. Events reminding us all of the solemn sacrifice made by so many of our citizens took place all across our area.

From Talladega to Sylacauga to Pell City and other places as well, we paused and remembered and said thank you to the men and women of our military forces who died in all the wars and conflicts of the past century and a half.

We owe much to these soldiers and sailors and Marines and pilots. From that first Memorial Day to this one, hundreds of thousands of our nation’s finest have died fighting for this country.

In Washington, D.C., the monuments stand proud; gleaming edifices in marble and granite that mark the sacrifice of so many. But the real memorials are all around this country, where faded photographs remind families of the loss of their loved ones. Those photographs remind us of lives that were not lived, of empty places at our tables on holidays and in our hearts the whole year long.

War is a terrible thing. Conflicts great and small have demanded sacrifices throughout the history of this country. Those sacrifices continue today in Iraq and Afghanistan, with American troops in harm’s way every minute of every day.

Let us not forget those troops, and let us be thankful for the service they provide this nation and its citizens.