Armed Forces Day gets kind of a raw deal.

It’s sort of like throwing a birthday party on Thanksgiving Day — who’s going to notice?

In this case, Armed Forces Day (which is actually preceded by Armed Forces Week, which was NOT on my calendar) falls in the shadow of one of the biggies — Memorial Day.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Memorial Day. Besides the fact we get to remember and pay tribute to our fallen service members, the occasion has become the unofficial start of our summer; it means you’ll get a three-day weekend if you’re really lucky; and if the weather is good, you might enjoy a camping trip or a cookout.

We do give a nod to our troops on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but more often than not our focus is on those who are no longer with us.

Armed Forces Day is a chance to recognize our men and women in uniform who are very much a part of our day-to-day lives. They are the ones who go to work every day to ensure and protect our freedom. That includes one near and dear to my heart, freedom of the press, which I have come to particularly cherish the past few months.

I have always had a healthy respect for the Armed Forces — my dad was in the Air Force and my husband retired from the Navy. But until I moved here and the Navy became such a part of my own everyday life, even before I got this job, I don’t think I ever really appreciated all the sacrifices our active duty and reserve personnel have to make.

Armed Forces Day shouldn’t be just a day or a week — we should remember and appreciate each day the people who make it possible for us to go about our business as usual.

– Kathy Reed, editor