This Memorial Day

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Today we observe a solemn celebration of freedom. Memorial Day is an occasion of remembrance and a rededication -- a commemoration of those who have fallen and a celebration of those who serve.

To mark this Memorial Day, we have reprinted Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Today, as in 1863, the nation is at war. It is a struggle not with ourselves, but with those who seek to deny us our freedom. In this battle, it is not just soldiers who face the ultimate sacrifice. Americans of all ages, creeds and parties are under threat. Indeed the entire world and all who inhabit it are under threat from Islamist fanatics and other violent radicals. It seems right, therefore, to recall that America's struggle is the world's struggle -- it is the test that transcends the ages: "whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure," Lincoln said.

Long ago, in a land that gave birth to the ideals we as Americans cherish, the Athenian Pericles asked his fellow citizens to honor the dead. He said, "I believe that a death such as theirs has been the true measure of a man's worth; it may be the first revelation of his virtues, but is at any rate their final seal. For even those who come short in other ways may justly plead the valor with which they have fought for their country; they have blotted out the evil with the good, and have benefited the state more by their public services than they have injured her by their private actions. None of these men were enervated by wealth or hesitated to resign the pleasures of life; none of them put off the evil day in the hope, natural to poverty, that a man, though poor, may one day become rich. But, deeming that the punishment of their enemies was sweeter than any of these things, and that they could fall in no nobler cause, they determined at the hazard of their lives to be honorably avenged, and to leave the rest. They resigned to hope their unknown chance of happiness; but in the face of death they resolved to rely upon themselves alone. And when the moment came, they were minded to resist and suffer, rather than to fly and save their lives; they ran away from the word dishonor, but on the battlefield their feet stood fast, and in an instant, at the height of their fortune, they passed away from the scene, not of their fear, but of their glory."

The ideals of freedom have changed little since they were first defined in ancient Greece. From its founding, it has fallen to America to honor and advance them. The dedication and the sacrifice of freedom's defenders is no less great in Baghdad and Kabul than it was in Gettysburg, Lexington and on the plains of Marathon. Neither words nor deeds can fully pay tribute to those among us who gave, and who are still giving, so much for the cause of liberty; those who have guarded us with their valor and still protect us with their vigilance.

Memorial Day should open with the same principles that have served since the beginning of the republic.

• With the red, white and blue. Memorial Day is a day for Americans to proudly display their patriotism. Each flag that is raised today is a testament to our enemies that we will never bow. As our G.I.s once did on the charred peak of Mt. Suribachi, hoist it high. Put the flag on the car antenna or the bumper. Hang it from the window or on the porch.

• With a cheer. U.S. troops should be applauded loudly, whether it is at a worship service or a parade. Soldiers should be showered with audible accolades wherever they are recognized.

• With a moment to remember. The White House Commission on Remembrance has requested that Americans take a minute today at 3 p.m. EST to remember the reason for our day off. Say a prayer, hug a loved one, turn on your car's headlights or simply take a moment of silence.

• With a heartfelt thank you. Today, Washington will be blessed with an abundance of veterans. Take a second to shake their hands, pat them on the back or perhaps buy one a drink. Do not forget those heading back into battle or the homeland security, police officers, firefighters and other first responders manning their posts.

Above all, honor the nation's fallen by honoring the meaning of this day. While the sun shines, the dead should be remembered at their final resting places -- who they were, where they fell and why they fought.