What I think about on Memorial Day

At the end of "Saving Private Ryan," the main character, Capt. Miller, is mortally wounded. As the carnage of battle roars around them, Capt. Miller breathes his last and mutters to Pvt. Ryan, "Earn this." In the 9 years since I saw that, every time I think of our fighting forces and what they do for us I reaffirm that I must "earn this" life in the United States. By somehow making this a better world into which I was born, by being a good American, by always remembering the sacrifices of our military, I hope to "earn this." Fictional movie or not, "Saving Pvt. Ryan" tells a great truth. It's what I think about on Memorial Day.