Monday was the 49th official federal observance of Memorial Day. Initially known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War but became an official federal holiday in 1971. Not surprisingly, only 55 percent of Americans can correctly define Memorial Day as a holiday honoring the men and women who died serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. What is sometimes lost in the translation is Memorial Day is not a celebration, but a sober remembrance of warriors who have fallen.

Take a moment and think about that. We are honoring fallen soldiers: Men and women whose last breath on this earth was in defense of our nation's freedoms. We only get one ride on this big blue marble, and making the conscious choice to sacrifice yourself for "God and Country" is not only honorable, but poetic, heartbreaking and heroic as well.

Looking at these men and women who served, you realize they possess a camaraderie with their fellow soldiers and a connection to this country that civilians will never fully understand. Currently, 1 percent of the nation's population defends the other 99 percent. No mandatory enlistment or military draft and we still have the finest trained, best-funded, best-equipped fighting force the world has ever known. This super-ultra minority of one-percenters have accepted the responsibility for our safety as well as the world's − ready to fight and die if ordered.

Those deaths are not always majestic. There is little Hollywood in the final moments of a fighting soldier's life. I have the unique opportunity through my radio program to speak with veterans regularly. I make it a point to do themed-based military shows that allow them to tell their stories. Much of what they share − and the nightmares they often endure − can only be described as gruesome and horrific.

Many were shot, stabbed or hit with napalm. One soldier, "Stan," told me that he was in such close proximity to his best friend that, when his pal was hit with an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) he actually wound up wearing his buddy's body fragments on his uniform.

Other stories − of helicopter crashes, night ambushes, sniper fire and IED explosions − are all too common. The horror stories come from soldiers who fought in the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and the conflicts in the Gulf and in Afghanistan. Looking into the eyes of these battle weary vets, you can see the emotional scars that they carry for fallen brothers and sisters. Some have held onto this pain for many decades.

World War II veterans talk with an inner strength and somber peacefulness that I imagine stems from a place deep within their souls where they have come to fully understand what they achieved was both epic and necessary. The Vietnam vets' description of war always seems more chaotic, almost as if there was no direction with zero military objective. Just a bunch of men in a jungle or a rice paddy trying to stay alive. The Nam vets were devastated by the way they were treated when they returned stateside. That's a societal sin that we as a nation can never let happen again. The Persian Gulf and Afghanistan vets seem much more together and confident, but that can be deceiving since the military suicide rate still sits at a staggering 20.6 per day. War is hell and you can't escape it.

I'm racked with guilt whenever I hear combat soldiers tell the blood-soaked stories of war. I feel like a spectator on the sidelines of the most important game in history. One of my biggest regrets was not signing on the dotted line and serving my country. It wasn't until much later on in my life where I began to understand the magnitude of what being an American soldier meant. I'd like to think I would have made a good soldier, but no one really knows how you'll react when the bullets start flying.

On Sunday, I took a walk through a New London cemetery and was floored by the surprising number of military flags adorned adjacent to headstones. I couldn't help but notice the men who died in conflicts dating back to the Civil War. If you add up all the U.S. military deaths from all of our wars, it would be over 1.1 million. Those fallen military members are the ones we recognize on Memorial Day.

Loving your country and putting it first is patriotic. Dying for your country is the ultimate act of patriotism. What can you as a civilian do to be more patriotic?

Lee Elci is the morning host for 94.9 News Now radio, a station that provides "Stimulating Talk" with a conservative bent.