As President George W. Bush said at the 2006 Memorial Day event at Arlington National Cemetery, "All who are buried here understood their duty. They saw a dark shadow on the horizon and went to meet it. They understood that tyranny must be met with resolve, and that liberty is always the achievement of courage." Courage, selfless service, loyalty, devotion to duty—to some, these may be hackneyed words, drained of their original meaning. To our service men and women, they are timeless and real. Like the brave veterans who lay in eternal sleep at our nation's cemeteries, today's Soldiers continue to prove they are willing to answer the call to duty just like at Concord, Bunker Hill, San Juan Hill or Sadr City. Today's Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guard answer the call like those who have gone before them. They serve selflessly and bravely just like the minuteman who marched across the misty fields of Yorktown, like the blue-coated Soldier clashing with his gray-jacketed brother at Gettysburg….the doughboy holding the line in the trenches of France….the infantryman running up the beach at Normandy amid a blizzard of enemy bullets...the artillerymen in Korea firing a steady barrage of rounds at Porkchop Hill in 1953...the small boat sailors patrolling the riverine reaches north of Saigon...the Airmen and Marines answering the Call to Duty in Panama, Grenada, Kuwait, Bosnia, Somalia, Kosovo...the Soldiers who are continuing to put Boots on the Ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is why we have gathered here today: To pause in remembrance of the American Soldier, Airman, Sailor, Marine and Coast Guardsman. So, in closing, let us pay tribute today to the living and the dead. Let us make a personal commitment to do two things in the coming weeks: To visit the grave sites of fallen Soldiers and silently thank them for their service, and to reach out and shake the hand of a currently serving Service man or woman —Whether standing in line at the grocery checkout, or a veteran standing along a parade route saluting Old Glory as she passes by. Tell them you understand the depths of their commitment. Simply tell them, "Thanks." In this way, we will take the spirit of Memorial Day beyond the boundaries of just one day on the calendar. Tell them you paused on this day at this time to honor their service and sacrifice and bravery of those who have preceded them.