A day to remember them

How would you thank someone who had given everything so that you could live comfortably? What would you say? Would you look him in the eye? Shake his hand? Hug him? Cry?

If those are questions you've never asked yourself, today you should.

Today this nation honors the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, paid the final price, to protect the American way of life. They have missed birthdays, holidays, graduations, reunions. Left behind wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters.

Eight men with ties to Hampton Roads have died supporting military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since the last Memorial Day. They are among more than 5,400 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who have fallen since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

They understood the risk and, impelled by conviction, they accepted it.

On this Memorial Day, as you head out to the beach, or gather at a neighbor's, or relax at home, take a few minutes to reflect on what these heroes have done. What they have missed, and their families and friends have lost. What life might be like if not for them.

Be thankful. Then hold your head up and be proud to live in a land that has borne such brave souls.

War casualties since Memorial Day 2009

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Tony M. Randolph, 22, Henryetta, Okla. Died July 6, 2009, in an improvised explosive device attack on his convoy in Afghanistan. He spent a year at Joint Forces Staff College.

Army Sgt. 1st Class William B. Woods, 31, Catawissa, Mo. Died Aug. 16, 2009, after being shot while on patrol in Afghanistan. Woods had lived with his wife in Chesapeake.

Marine 1st Lt. Michael E. Johnson, 25, Virginia Beach. Died Sept. 8, 2009, during a firefight in Afghanistan.

Army Pfc. William "Lee" Meredith, 26, Virginia Beach. Died Sept. 20, 2009, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.

Army Staff Sgt. Mark Stets Jr., 39, Virginia Beach. Died Feb. 3, 2010, during a suicide bomb attack on his convoy in Pakistan.

Marine Lance Cpl. Kielin T. Dunn, 19, Chesapeake. Died Feb. 18, 2010, while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Adam L. Brown, 36, Hot Springs, Ark. Died March 18, 2010, in Afghanistan. The SEAL lived in Virginia Beach with his wife and two children.

Navy Lt. Miroslav "Steve" Zilberman, 31, Columbus, Ohio. Died March 31, 2010, after his plane crashed into the Arabian Gulf after a mission over Afghanistan. Lived in Virginia Beach with his wife and two children.

War casualties 2002-09

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Theophilus K. Ansong, 34, Bristol. Lost at sea Feb. 4, 2009, in the Gulf of Aden. Assigned to the Norfolk-based San Antonio.

Army Sgt. Derek Banks, 24, Newport News. Died Nov. 14, 2007, from an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.

Army Staff Sgt. Mario J. Bievre, 34, Virginia Beach. Killed June 23, 2006, by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.

Marine 2nd Lt. Joshua L. Booth, 23, Fiskdale, Mass., former resident of Virginia Beach. Died Oct. 17, 2006, during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Matthew J. Bourgeois, 35, a Little Creek-based SEAL. Died March 28, 2002, in an explosion near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Army Spc. Hoby Frank Bradfield Jr., 22, Woodlands, Texas, and 2001 graduate of Green Run High School in Virginia Beach. Died July 9, 2005, from enemy fire while on patrol in Tal Afar, Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Juantrea T. Bradley, 28, Greenville, N.C. Fort Eustis-based soldier, killed March 12, 2008, from a mortar attack at an operating base in Tallil, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle W. Brown, 22, Newport News. Killed Jan. 7, 2006, by light arms fire near Fallujah, Iraq.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal, 24, Smithtown, N.Y. Assigned to the Firebolt, a patrol craft based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek. Killed April 24, 2004, in a boat bombing in Iraqi waters.

Army Staff Sgt. Marshall H. Caddy, 27, Kitty Hawk. Died Nov. 16, 2004, in a vehicle collision in Khaladiyah, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Carlos M. Camacho-Rivera, 24, Carolina, Puerto Rico. Based at Fort Story. Killed Nov. 5, 2004, in a rocket attack outside Fallujah, Iraq.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Mark T. Carter, 27, Virginia Beach-based SEAL from Fallbrook, Calif. Killed Dec. 11, 2007, during combat in Iraq.

Army Sgt. Kenith Casica, 32, Virginia Beach. Killed Dec. 10, 2005, by small-arms fire in Baghdad.

Air Force Airman 1st Class Leebernard E. Chavis, 21, Hampton. Killed Oct. 14, 2006, by enemy fire in Baghdad.

Army Cpl. Shawn R. Creighton, 21, Windsor, N.C. Died April 14, 2006, when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Iraq.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Paul J. Darga, 34, Norfolk. Killed Aug. 22, 2006, by an improvised explosive device in Anbar province, Iraq.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Phillip Daugherty, 28, Virginia Beach-based SEAL from Barstow, Calif. Killed July 6, 2007, by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.

Army Pvt. Jason L. Deibler, 20, Hampton. Killed May 4, 2003, by a noncombat weapon discharge in Kuwait.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz, 25, Virginia Beach-based SEAL from Littleton, Colo. Killed June 28, 2005, by enemy fire in Kunar province, Afghanistan.

Army Spc. Jeremy M. Dimaranan, 29, Virginia Beach. Killed June 16, 2004, during a mortar attack in Balad, Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan K. Dozier, 30, Chesapeake. Killed Jan. 9, 2008, by an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

Army Sgt. Shawn M. Dunkin, 25, Alleghany County; family lives in Portsmouth. Died Feb. 19, 2007, in Baghdad after an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle.

Marine Capt. James C. Edge, 31, Virginia Beach. Killed April 14, 2005, by small-arms fire in Ramadi, Iraq.

Army Spc. Raymond J. Faulstich Jr., 24, Leonardtown, Md. Based at Fort Eustis. Killed Aug. 5, 2004, in a convoy attack in Najaf, Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Jason A. Fegler, 24, Virginia Beach. Died Nov. 4, 2005, in Baghdad.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Jacques J. Fontan, 36, Little Creek-based SEAL from New Orleans, La. Died June 28, 2005, in a helicopter crash near Asadabad, Afghanistan.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Jason R. Freiwald, 30, Dam Neck-based SEAL from Armada, Mich. Died Sept. 12, 2008, from combat injuries in Afghanistan.

Army Pfc. Aaron D. Gautier, 19, Hampton. Died May 17, 2007, when his mounted patrol came in contact with enemy forces using small-arms fire and an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.

Marine Cpl. Orville Gerena, 21, Puerto Rico, formerly of Virginia Beach. Died Feb. 6, 2006, during combat in Iraq.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Travis W. Grogan, 31, Virginia Beach. Died Nov. 27, 2004, when his aircraft crashed in Bamian, Afghanistan.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Nathan H. Hardy, 29, Virginia Beach-based SEAL from Durham, N.H. Killed Feb. 4, 2008, by small-arms fire in Iraq.

Marine Reserve Sgt. Bradley Harper Jr., 25, former Virginia Beach police officer. Killed Aug. 3, 2005, by a roadside bomb south of Haditha, Iraq.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Harris, 36, Dam Neck-based SEAL from Lexington, N.C. Drowned Aug. 30, 2008, during combat in Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. Jonathan N. Hartman, 27, Orange Park, Fla., formerly of Portsmouth. Killed in action April 17, 2004, in Iraq.

Army Sgt. Bruce E. Horner, 43, Newport News. Killed June 1, 2007, by small-arms fire in Iraq.

Army Sgt. William R. Howdeshell, 37, Fort Stewart, Ga., former Norfolk resident. Died July 26, 2007, from combat injuries suffered in Iraq.

Army Tech Sgt. William H. Jefferson, 34, Norfolk. Killed March 22, 2008, from an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. Jevon K. Jordan, 32, Norfolk. Died March 29, 2008, from wounds caused by an explosion in Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Kiernan, 37, Virginia Beach. Killed May 6, 2007, by sniper fire in Baghdad.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Michael E. Koch, 29, Virginia Beach-based SEAL from State College, Pa. Killed Feb. 4, 2008, by small-arms fire in Iraq.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Erik Kristensen, 33, a Little Creek-based SEAL. Killed June 28, 2005, in a helicopter crash near Asadabad, Afghanistan.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Dale Lewis, 30, Virginia Beach-based SEAL from Brookfield, Conn. Killed July 6, 2007, by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.

Army Pfc. Lee A. Lewis Jr., 28, Norfolk. Died March 18, 2005, when his patrol was fired on in Sadr City, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Mason L. Lewis, 26, Gloucester. Died Nov. 16, 2007, in Baghdad from injuries in a noncombat training accident.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffery A. Lucas, 33, a Virginia Beach-based SEAL from Corbett, Ore. Killed June 28, 2005, in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Army Cpl. George Anthony Lutz, 25, Chesapeake. Killed Dec. 29, 2005, by sniper fire near Fallujah, Iraq.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Ian D. Manuel, 23, Florida; relatives live in Chesapeake. Died Jan. 8, 2004, while piloting a Black Hawk helicopter shot down near Fallujah, Iraq.

Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer John Wayne Marcum, 34, Dam Neck-based SEAL from Flushing, Mich. Died Sept. 12, 2008, from injuries sustained in combat in Afghanistan.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Jackie L. McFarlane, 30, Norfolk. Killed Aug. 14, 2007, in the crash of a helicopter outside Fallujah, Iraq.

Navy Lt. Michael M. McGreevy Jr., 30, a Virginia Beach-based SEAL. Killed June 28, 2005, in a helicopter crash near Asadabad, Afghanistan.

Army Spc. Jeremy W. McHalffey, 28, Mabelvale, Ark.; family lives in Virginia Beach. Died Jan. 4, 2005, when his Humvee rolled over a homemade bomb in Taji, Iraq.

Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jeremiah E. McNeal, 23, Norfolk. Died April 6, 2008, from an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Richard McRill, 42, Virginia Beach-based SEAL from Lake Placid, Fla. Killed July 6, 2007, by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti, 30, Raynham, Mass.; family lives in Virginia Beach. Died June 21, 2006, during combat near Gowardesh, Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Marvin Lee Miller, 38, Dunn, N.C. Died April 7, 2004, shot while on traffic duty in Balad, Iraq.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Ouellette, 37, a Little Creek-based SEAL from Waltham, Mass. Killed May 29, 2004, when his vehicle hit a mine in Zabul, Afghanistan.

Marine Sgt. Jayton D. Patterson, 26, Sedley. Died Jan. 15, 2005, in action in Babil province, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Michael C. Peek, 23, Chesapeake. Killed March 3, 2007, by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael J. Pernaselli, 27, Brighton, N.Y. Assigned to the Firebolt, a patrol craft based at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base. Killed April 24, 2004, in a boat bombing in Iraqi waters.

Marine Lance Cpl. Steven L. Phillips, 27, Spraggs, Pa., former Chesapeake resident. Died Feb. 7, 2006, after a vehicle crash during combat operations near Al Qaim, Iraq.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas E. Retzer, 30, a Virginia Beach-based SEAL. Died June 26, 2003, from wounds sustained in a convoy attack near Gardez, Afghanistan.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Neil Roberts, 32, a Virginia Beach-based SEAL from Woodland, Calif. Died March 4, 2002, after falling from a helicopter in eastern Afghanistan.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class David Sean Roddy, 32, based in Norfolk. Killed Sept. 16, 2006, by a improvised explosive device in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Spc. Tenzin L. Samten, 33, Prescott, Ariz. Based at Fort Eustis. Killed March 12, 2008, in a mortar attack in Tallil, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Darrell J. Schumann, 25, Hampton. Died Jan. 26, 2005, in a helicopter crash near Ar Rutbah, Iraq.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Clark Schwedler, 27, Virginia Beach-based SEAL from Crystal Falls, Mich. Killed April 5, 2007, by enemy fire in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Christopher C. Simpson, 23, Hampton. Killed March 17, 2008, by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Luis A. Souffront, 25, Virginia Beach-based explosive ordnance disposal technician from Miami. Killed Feb. 7, 2008, by an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

Army Cpl. Shannon Lee Squires, 25, Virginia Beach. Died Aug. 28, 2006, from an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Joshua C. Sticklen, 24, Virginia Beach. Died Dec. 3, 2006, in a helicopter crash in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Pfc. Pendelton L. Sykes II, 25, Chesapeake. Killed April 6, 2005, in a helicopter crash in Ghazni, Afghanistan.

Army Spc. Shawn D. Sykes, 28, Portsmouth. Died May 7, 2009, from wounds suffered in an accident at a combat post in Iraq.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David M. Tapper, 32, Virginia Beach-based SEAL from Camden County, N.J. Died Aug. 20, 2003, from combat wounds suffered in Afghanistan.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey S. Taylor, 30, Virginia Beach-based SEAL from Midway, W.Va. Killed June 28, 2005, in a helicopter crash near Asadabad, Afghanistan.

Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Robin L. Towns, 52, Upper Marlboro, Md.; Portsmouth native. Died Oct. 24, 2007, in Bayji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee.

Army Sgt. Tromaine K. Toy Sr., 24, Eastville. Died April 16, 2005, during combat in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler J. Trahan, 22, East Freetown, Mass. Died April 30, 2009, in combat operations in Iraq. He was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 12 in Norfolk and was deployed with an East Coast-based Navy SEAL team.

Army Pfc. Andrew L. Tuazon, 21, Chesapeake. Killed May 10, 2004, by hostile fire in Mosul, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Kelly E.C. Watters, 19, Virginia Beach. Died June 11, 2008, from wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Watts, 28, Strawberry Plains, Tenn. Assigned to the Firebolt, a patrol craft based at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base. Killed April 24, 2004, in a boat bombing in Iraqi waters.

Army Staff Sgt. Romanes L. Woodard, 30, Hertford. Killed April 6, 2005, in a helicopter crash in Ghazni, Afghanistan.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis L. Youngblood, 26, Smithfield. Died July 21, 2005, from wounds from an improvised explosive device in Iraq.