Commentary: Testament to the fallen Published May 20, 2013 By Col. Johnny Roscoe 15th Wing commander JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Memorial Day will soon be upon us and in the midst of the time-honored tradition of barbeques and family celebrations I ask you to take a moment to reflect on what the holiday actually represents; a solemn day of remembrance in honor of those who died in service of our country. I ask you to pay respect to our fallen brothers and sisters in arms who stemmed the tide of aggression in the Pacific during the Second World War, fanned the flame of liberty throughout the Middle East, and to their last breath never yielded their beliefs in the face of oppression. We owe them a debt that will never fade nor can ever be repaid; it is with a humble countenance that we remember their passing through our celebration of the freedoms for which they fought and died. Likewise, I can think of no better way to limit future loss of life in military conflict than to never forget the terrible price paid by those that died in the past and what they died for. If we strive to uphold the ideals for which they died, their deaths will not have been in vain. This is hallowed ground that we live and work on every day paid for by the blood of our predecessors just a couple generations past. Memorial Day is a testament and a celebration to them in that we live free from oppression and that the Stars and Stripes still flies over the great state of Hawaii. While Memorial Day may be celebrated as an American holiday, those that gave their lives in the service of our nation had an everlasting impact beyond our shores. Through generations of sacrifice America developed an unprecedented culture of freedom and prosperity that the rest of the world still strives to emulate. Today America is a symbol of hope to oppressed people around the world largely due to those that laid down their life to promote the cause of freedom. We now sit at the forefront of the mightiest military force that the world has ever seen, but despite the advances in technology and training the fragility of the lives of those that wear the uniform endures. The list of the departed can never grow shorter and the weight of our responsibility to carry on in their name will never grow lighter. Though we may seem spatially separated from combat here in Hawaii since the end of the Second World War, we are not immune to the consequences of war. On this special day, I ask you to remember the 40 American service members of all branches from Hawaii that have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, most recently Capt. Reid Nishizuka on April 27th. Members of the 15th Wing stand in harm's way throughout the Pacific and the world every day and I pray that precious few will have to give their lives, never to see their families again, in order to preserve that right for others.