The day after Memorial Day, America’s debt to the fallen still remains

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, we are not merely preparing to celebrate a birthday. We are being forced to take inventory.

Two and a half centuries of independence did not arrive cleanly, cheaply, or inevitably. This nation was built through sacrifice, protected through sacrifice, and if it is to endure, it will be protected through sacrifice still.

That is the hard truth Memorial Day asks us to confront. Not for one long weekend. Not for one parade. Not for one moment of silence before the burgers hit the grill.