Monday is Memorial Day.

On this solemn holiday, we often reflect on whether we do enough to commemorate this important day, whether we do enough to honor these heroes’ sacrifices throughout the year and whether we are doing enough to ensure future generations understand how important these observances are and how important this sense of gratitude is.

As we implored our communities nine years ago — remember these sacrifices not just on Memorial Day or on Memorial Day weekend, but every day throughout the year

As we editorialized three years ago, our armed services have placed hard work and values above all, and on this weekend we honor those whose values led to the biggest sacrifices.

It is crucial that we remember the more than 1 million lives lost in combat.

Every member of each of our communities should grieve with their families. We all should share our gratitude that our lives, freedoms and opportunities were preserved through those sacrifices.

“Hopefully we ask ourselves what more we can do to support the families of the fallen and to support the veterans who served alongside the fallen,” we wrote.

As we observed a year ago, it is important for families and schools to embrace these occasions and avenues to give the children of Lycoming County and surrounding counties a sense of the selflessness and dedication to the ideals and principles of liberty that our veterans displayed in serving.

“We hope our young people, as they grow, can respect the debt our society owes these men and women,” we wrote. “We hope they understand that such a debt cannot be paid in an hour over a holiday weekend, or even one weekend out of the year.”

While this is not a joyous or ebullient holiday, it is a vitally important holiday nonetheless. We hope every community, every neighborhood and every man and woman, girl and boy in our region can rededicate themselves to honoring and appreciating the sacrifices of our veterans and of our veterans who sacrificed their lives and futures especially.