Each year, Memorial Day is a solemn occasion to remember the Americans we have lost in service to the nation.  With proud parades, gravesite tributes, and moving performances of “Taps,” we give thanks for the freedoms that generations of service members have fought selflessly to protect on behalf of millions they do not know.

This Memorial Day is a difficult but proud time for Gayle and me as our son, a captain in the Air Force, prepares for deployment to Afghanistan.  Like many American families with loved ones in the military, we celebrate today not only by reflecting on the past but also by renewing our commitment to those who have served and are currently serving. 

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee in Congress, I have a direct role in shaping America’s military future with the National Defense Authorization Act, which was approved by the committee only days ago.  The Fiscal Year 2015 bill, which passed with overwhelming support in committee, represents a bipartisan commitment to providing our troops with the best resources and training available, from state-of-the-art amphibious ships to improved mental health screenings.  I am pleased this year’s NDAA included an amendment I sponsored with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to help safeguard well-trained National Guard units like Mississippi’s 155th from shortsighted Army proposals. 

The same bipartisan commitment is needed in response to recent allegations of mismanagement and negligence at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers across the country – a scandal sparked by the tragic deaths of at least 40 veterans waiting for care in Phoenix.  I am disappointed that President Obama has not called for the accountability measures that a crisis of this magnitude deserves.  Ensuring that problems with veterans’ care are fully addressed and corrected requires presidential leadership and comprehensive reform.

In taking care of today’s service members and veterans, we extend the spirit of devotion exemplified by a group of women in Columbus, Mississippi, nearly 150 years ago.  On April 25, 1866, these women placed flowers on the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers at Friendship Cemetery.  This act of generosity is perhaps the earliest demonstration of today’s Memorial Day tradition and inspired the famous poem “The Blue and the Gray” by Francis Miles Finch.  As the third verse describes, “From the silence of sorrowful hours, The desolate mourners go, Lovingly laden with flowers, Alike for the friend and the foe.”

Memorial Day is a poignant reminder of the cost that sometimes comes with military service.  Many Mississippians have fought and died for the cause of liberty, joining a powerful legacy of American heroes.  Our state continues to build this legacy with its many contributions to defense and national security, from our troops who travel to hostile parts of the world to the successes of a vibrant and dynamic defense industrial base.

We can each do our part to fulfill the promises owed to the brave men and women who dedicate their lives to serving our country.  Memorial Day may be a time of remembrance, but it also calls us to be mindful of the future of America’s military tradition and strength.  We can help shape that future in the ways we support our troops and veterans today.

Note: An excerpt of this op-ed appeared in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal on May 26, 2014.