WASHINGTON   –  “No one likes going to a cemetery.  We think of them as sad places, bleak with grief.  And for many occasions when we attend funerals and bury loved ones, cemeteries can mark some of the toughest days of life.

There is one day, however, when going to a cemetery is a solemn occasion but not necessarily a sad one, and that is on Memorial Day when we honor all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation.

Across the country, remembrances will be held for the Americans who have fallen in battle and died in the military service of our country.  There are few things as moving as watching the color guard march forward with our flag, singing the National Anthem in tribute and respect to our heroes, and taking a silent moment to thank them and to thank God for blessing us with citizens who have given everything for our freedoms.

Memorial Day reminds us why so many veterans in every part of the country are among us every day, serving the communities they defended in uniform.  Now, their service is of a different kind: they are raising money for non-profit organizations and hospitals, leading food and clothing drives, and raising awareness of patriotic causes that today help out American men and women serving in the field.
 
Just as important, our veterans continue to serve one another by lending comfort during difficult times.  Veterans from WWII to Vietnam are today helping returning soldiers from new conflicts around the globe.  They are the only voice that can offer true understanding of the hardships faced on the field of battle.

Yet there are other soldiers who need comfort, too, though they have passed from this world to the next.  So Memorial Day has an important meaning for all of us, in every community in Southern Missouri and in every community in America.  Honoring our fallen heroes is essential to keep that tradition of service alive, to keeping our country free, and to attempt to repay the debt for the great gift those men and women have given to us – their lives for our country.

Four fallen heroes from Southern Missouri are now permanently remembered with the establishment of “Heroes’ Way,” a stretch of I-55 through the Eighth Congressional District named for them.  The interchanges along the road, dedicated in late May, are a tribute to them, their families and their honorable service.  They are also a reminder of what anyone who travels through our congressional district will easily see: that we value our servicemembers, we remember them in everything we do, and we are incredibly proud of them.

Heroes’ Way is for every day, but a visit to the cemetery is for Memorial Day.  Whether you visit a veterans cemetery in Missouri or attend a Memorial Day program held somewhere else, thank you for taking the time to say a prayer for those who willingly made the ultimate sacrifice for America.”