People will spend time this weekend mowing lawns, planting gardens, golfing, barbecuing and any number of other activities tied to warmer weather.

It is also a time set aside when we honor the courage of those Americans who put their lives on the line to protect or defend the principles that bind us as a nation. Some were drafted, some went voluntarily, but in either case, they fought to give us the lives we have today.

And this year, we have a fresh set of veterans from the war in Iraq to honor.

Whether you opposed the war or were in favor of it, the men and women who served in Iraq, and especially those who lost their lives, deserve our respect and thoughts this weekend. They were willing to risk their lives for our country.

Only a small percentage of the nation's population can remember World War II personally. The rest of us know what we know from textbooks and television.

It might have been easy in year's past to go to the Memorial Day parade, salute, and go back to a day off and a favorite activity.

But now we've all seen firsthand, thanks to television and reporters embedded with units, the bravery and horrors of fighting in a war.

The veterans of all wars should be thanked for the sacrifices they made in the name of ideology and patriotism.

Memorial Day honors the fallen, and it is entirely appropriate that the focus in this weekend's observances remains on their sacrifice.

But let us not forget those who served, survived and carried on. Winston Churchill, speaking of the overwhelming challenges the British met in the early days of World War II, called it "their finest hour."

The same can be said of those America men and women - hundreds of thousands of whom will remain forever young - who gave so much when their nation needed them most.

Their special place in our nation's collective conscience cannot be diminished.

Roses to emergency medical squad personnel during this week set aside to honor their contributions to our communities. It is a time to pay much-deserved tribute to the men and women who volunteer their time and skills to provide help in potentially life-and-death situations.