What do we owe our veterans?

Spectrum, by Sen. Lisa Murkowski

For many Alaskans, Memorial Day signals summer's arrival. Many Alaska families are pulling out the picnic baskets and fishing poles and heading for the nearest river or park. But more importantly we need to remember that Memorial Day is one of our nation's most solemn observances.

It is only fitting that Alaskans join the rest of the country in honoring the sacrifices that countless fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters have given in support of freedom. Even as we work to rebuild Iraq and create a democracy that allows Iraqis the freedoms we know and love, we should never allow anyone to forget the sacrifices that our veterans have made.

On Memorial Day we honor those Americans who died fighting for freedom. We pause to remember, to think about the meaning of the loss of brave men and women who did not return from battle. And in cemeteries all across our state, Alaskans will place flags or lay bouquets on quiet graves "where valor proudly sleeps." One of the most awesome accounts of honor and courage is D-day. On June 6 we will commemorate its 60th anniversary. On that fateful day, 176,000 allied soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy in what was the largest invasion in history.

While there have been hundreds of other landings in other historic locations such as Okinawa and Iwo Jima, the forces that landed on Normandy Beach nearly 60 years ago truly changed the course of history. When we hear the term "D-Day," we reflect on that awful and incredible day with reverence for what was accomplished and for all that was lost, and with respect for those who survived, and for those who did not.

This Memorial Day weekend, after years of fundraising and planning, the long-awaited $172-million memorial to our World War II veterans is officially opening. Not only is this a memorial, but it is a living tribute to the fewers than 4 million World War II veterans still alive. It is a magnificent memorial, prominently placed in the middle of our National Mall. Inscribed into the memorial is a quote that adequately reflects my feelings and the feelings of many towards our veterans: "Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude; America will never regret their sacrifices."

I believe that the best way to thank veterans is not with a speech or a memorial, but with a commitment to veterans' health care, veteran programs and veteran services. Veterans should not have to fight again for health care when they return home. That's why throughout my career I have aimed to improve the lives of Alaska's nearly 70,000 veterans. While I was in the state legislature, I chaired our Military and Veterans Affairs Committee and established and served on the Joint Armed Services Committee. And now I sit on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Thus far in the Senate I have won the authorization for federal funds for the care of veterans in Alaska's Pioneer Homes. I have helped craft a solution to the Concurrent Receipts issue -- so more retired veterans can keep their full disability pay. I have worked to have Anchorage chosen as the site for the 2006 National Veterans Wheelchair Games. I also have supported updating laws to make it easier for recent veterans to buy homes. Plus, I helped win the largest increase in veterans' health care funding ever.

If we all continue to make good on our veterans' trust, we can build an even brighter future for our nation and Alaska. Our commitment to our veterans must be the same as our commitment to all Americans -- to give them the chance to make the most of their own lives. Generations of servicemen and women have fought and died for a common ideal -- an America that offers opportunity for all, demands responsibility from all, and that comes together as a community around the values we all share.

On this Memorial Day, we must honor the sacrifice of our veterans. We must resolve to keep our America the strongest nation in the world, and the world's strongest force for peace and freedom. On this Memorial Day let us not forget to say "thank you" to our living veterans and to pledge to those eternally at rest that we will never forget their courage and patriotism.

We also must pledge our resolute support to our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines around the world who are pursuing terrorists, to bring them to justice and to keep America and the world safe. Memorial Day begins each day that Americans honor their soldiers, remember their heroes and pledge allegiance to their ideals.

Lisa Murkowski is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate.