Sorrow and gratitude on Memorial Day

THEY WERE ordinary people who found joy and sustenance in ordinary things.
 
Mark Carter, for example, loved skateboarding, rock climbing and paintball.
 
Jonathan Dozier relished living near the beach, especially surfing.
 
Steven Daugherty liked to play the guitar.
 
All three men were extraordinary in at least one distinct way, however - they'd all made a special commitment to serve their country in the armed forces and place themselves in harm's way if called upon to do so.
 
Today, they are being remembered for the ordinary and extraordinary ways in which they touched the lives of their families, their friends and their colleagues in uniform.
 
Carter, Dozier and Daugherty were among 18 members of the armed services from the Hampton Roads area who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan since Memorial Day a year ago.
 
With their deaths, the number of fallen troops from our region in the current conflicts overseas has risen to 62.
 
Today, of course, is the day that our nation traditionally pays tribute to the men and women who have, as the saying goes, made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
 
And, today, the people of Hampton Roads undoubtedly will pause from their holiday - from the activities that bring them joy and sustenance - to acknowledge and pay respects to the sacrifices of people like Carter, Dozier and Daugherty.
 
But, in a region so deeply tied to the military, so attuned to the extraordinary commitments made by ordinary folks, there can be little doubt that the expressions of sorrow, the offerings of gratitude, will extend far beyond this single day.