As the country heads into the Memorial Day weekend, the traditional kickoff to the summer travel season, there are almost 1.5 million U.S soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines deployed in war zones or combat missions worldwide.
So far, more than 6,400 U.S. servicemen and servicewomen have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - 3,000 in Afghanistan alone - and at least 48,000 more have been wounded.
We encourage you to spend some time looking at our Home and Away feature, where you can discover the individual stories of the fallen.
Do you have a friend or family member in service? Tell in the comments who you are honoring this weekend.
Lt. George M. Wall in April 1970 piloted an intelligence gathering plane that intercepted information strategic to shutting down enemy supply lines in Vietnam. Although his plane was shot down behind enemy lines and he and his navigator were killed, the rest of his crew were rescued and the information saved for analysis. Thank you, Lt. Wall.
I am honoring Ira Hamilton Hayes who raised the flag on Iwo Jima, we need to keep him in our memory.
I am honoring Ira Hamilton Hayes, who raised the flag on Iwo Jima, may his memory live on.