Today, we remember the men and women who have given their lives in wars and conflicts for America. With more than 800 dead soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines in Iraq, this year's Memorial Day hits especially close to home for many Americans.

Today, I remember Gregory MacDonald. I served with Greg in the Marine Reserves in the 4th Light Armored Reconaissance Battalion, Bravo Company. After eight years of service that saw not a single day of combat, I was honorably discharged in 2002. Greg, who studied Middle Eastern affairs at American University and tended the bar at the Zoo Bar in Woodley Park, remained with my unit and was sent to Iraq. While driving to the aid of other Americans who had come under attack last June, the LAV Greg served as a gunner for overturned. Greg was crushed and apparently died instantly.

Greg MacDonald was an awesome guy. Perhaps some would find it curious that Lance Corporal MacDonald's career ambition outside of the Marine Corps was to help foster peace--especially in the Middle East. We both grew up outside of Boston, so when our paths first crossed in a Marine unit in Maryland we discovered we naturally had a lot in common. Politically, however, we had very little in common but this strangely (or maybe not so strangely) pushed us into more conversations. If Greg read the posts on this blog, he'd probably disagree with most of them. His political views were well left of the conservative norm in the Marine Corps, and yet he was very popular with his fellow Marines. He opposed the war in Iraq, but recognized that his job as a Marine was to carry out the policy, not make it. He did his duty and made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. He is a hero and I am proud to have known him.

I write all this because Greg MacDonald should be remembered. The servicemen and women who we memorialize today shouldn't be seen as names carved into a stone or numbers on a tally sheet. They were real people, with real lives, real families, and real friends. War exacts a terrible cost. Whenever I think of how terrible that cost is, Gregory MacDonald immediately comes to mind.