Gratitude for those who've served

We cannot let this week pass without offering our gratitude to Al Porter and Bryan Bolander.

Both fought on behalf of this country, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. For Bolander, whose family members live in Virginia City, that was the price of his service. He'd served four tours in Iraq before being killed by an IED on April 29.

Al Porter, a World War II veteran and Carson City resident, was honored last weekend on the occasion of his 90th birthday with the Purple Heart he earned but never received for a wound he sustained in 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge in Europe.

Both wars are often viewed as statistics ... how many killed and wounded, how much spent, how long they're fought. But we should miss no opportunity to honor individually the men and women who take the oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies.

That is what links both men and all those who've served.

It will not be many years before there are no longer any living World War II veterans. The current war often seems to be of secondary concern in the daily lives of Americans. But we hope Porter, Bolander and all of the other heroes from both wars, and all those in between, will never be forgotten.

• This editorial represents the view of the Nevada Appeal Editorial Board.