Memorial Day 2000 finds Americans enjoying a prosperity so deep and nearly universal that it is without precedent in human history.

It?s been more than 25 years since the end of the last conflict that claimed thousands of American lives - the Vietnam War. Yes, we did fight the Gulf War successfully in 1991, but it was quick and cost mercifully few American lives. This period of relative calm stretching into the 21st Century has already lasted longer than any of the peace times of the 20th Century.

Nearly 55 years have passed since the end of the last great global conflict that forced our nation into total military and civilian mobilization - World War II. Sadly, the men and women who so nobly fought that war are departing the ranks of the living at an ever-increasing pace. There are fewer and fewer people to remind us of the meaning of war - bravery, courage, sacrifice, loneliness, fear and sometimes injury or even death.

So now, perhaps as never before, we need to pause and reflect upon the truth that freedom is NOT free. We should remember the millions and millions of Americans who fought for OUR freedom. We need especially to remember the more than 1 million Americans who died in wars as old as our Revolution in the 18th Century and as recent as the Gulf War, which ended just nine years ago.

On a day of picnics, boating and ball games -- the unofficial opening of summer -- I hope each of us will take time to remember those who brought this day to us. Try to imagine what it must have been like to be with George Washington and his men - freezing and miserably under-equipped at Valley Forge. Imagine for a moment the desperate, close-quarters fighting of the Civil War. Imagine the terror-filled trenches of World War I, the total war of World War II, the frozen hills of Korea and the steaming, bloody jungles of Vietnam. And remember the sacrifices of Desert Storm. Stop and reflect upon the terror of being under fire and the courage it takes to survive and prevail during that experience. It will take only a small part of a day that is likely to be filled with fun. But in this time of prosperity and peace, we owe that devotion to those who paid so dearly to bring us this Memorial Day 2000.

We should also be mindful of how the marking of Memorial Day came about. It has its origins in the conflict that claimed more lives than any other in American history - the Civil War. As that terrible fight drew to a close, men and women on both sides began to decorate the graves of the close to 600,000 Americans killed in that conflict. And in places like Columbus, Ga., women paused as they decorated the graves of the fallen Confederates to notice the lonely graves of Union soldiers nearby. And even though the most bitter war in American history had just ended, they stopped to decorate the graves of the Union soldiers who had so recently been their foes.

If those women 135 years ago could remember and - yes - honor men who had been their enemy, surely we can take a few moments of Memorial Day 2000 to honor those who suffered - and achieved -- so much to make this day possible.

Let us never forget that freedom is NOT free. It is sometimes paid for with the supreme sacrifice. And, as we honor those who have made it, we vow never to forget their patriotism and dedication.