This is what they're remembering this year:
Admiral (Ret.) James 'Sandy' Winnefeld, Former Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
"Let us hope that, on this Memorial Day, the sacrifices for our country and others made by generations of American men and women both in and out of uniform might inspire our citizens to narrow our deep political divides and return to our traditions of service, civility, and compromise."
Read Admiral Winnefeld's column, A Tradition of Serving with Honor
Rick Ledgett, Former Deputy Director, National Security Agency
"Every Memorial Day, I think of the 177 names on the NSA/CSS Memorial Wall. They are soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and civilians who have been killed in the line of duty doing their cryptologic missions. I've read each and every one of their stories, and they are stories of dedication, service, and even heroism. One in particular resonates with me, the story of Chief Cryptologic Technician Christian Pike."
Read Ledgett's Memorial Day tribute, Christian Pike's Ultimate Sacrifice
Rob Lively, Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army (Ret.)
"In my community in North Carolina we remember and honor our fallen all year long. I remember when I see one of our Gold Star Spouses at the post office or the coffee shop. I remember when I pass Fernandez Lane named after a great warrior. I honor and remember when we serve a Gold Star Spouse by helping her get her yard cleaned up or her gutters cleared."
Read Rob Lively's column, Memorial Day: How it Has Changed for All of Us
John McLaughlin, Former CIA Acting Director
"The people the stars represent came from all parts of CIA – operators, analysts, scientific/tactical officers, and support. Their sacrifices came, not in a single war, but in multiple missions over decades, with more than a third of the stars on the wall being added since the 9/11 terrorist attacks."
Read John McLaughlin's From Military to CIA, the Sacrifice is Often the Same
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Guy C. Swan III, Former Commander, U.S. Army North
"One of the saddest duties I ever had to perform during my own military career was to escort Keith to meet his daughter’s remains as they were returned to Dover AFB, like thousands of other military servicemen and women lost over the last 20 years and who will also be remembered this Memorial Day."
Read Guy Swan's Why We Call it the Army Family
James Hatch, Retired, Naval Special Warfare Development Group
"To me, it is a day when I remind myself of the lives lost in an effort to secure our way of life. That way of life is one based on optimism. The optimism that no matter who you are, with hard work, you can make something of yourself. In my heart, I believe that my friends who died fighting - all of them post 9/11 - died doing something that they thought would help ensure that those of us left behind will make something of ourselves."
Read Jimmy Hatch's, The Debt that We Owe to the Fallen
Kevin Hulbert, Former CIA Chief of Station
"In 2009, CIA took a devastating hit when a double agent came into one of our compounds in Afghanistan and killed 11 Agency officers and contractors. The Base Chief at that time was my friend, Jennifer Matthews and on Memorial Day, I always think of her and the beautiful family she left behind. But we try to remember our friends not by how they died, but by how they lived."
Read Kevin Hulbert's, The Stars on the Wall
What are you remembering this Memorial Day? Add your thoughts by hitting the POV button below.
