By Erik Hilberg, Special to The Kansas City Star

Memorial Day is the national holiday where American’s honor and remember those who perished in service to the nation. No one should ever forget the sacrifice of the warriors who preserved the freedom of their fellow man.

On every Memorial Day, American’s owe it to those veterans to serve the nation; one simple way is to remain informed about the service our veterans perform while in harm’s way.

Veterans of the Global War on Terrorism are in danger of fighting another misunderstood war. Our Korean and Vietnam veterans were victims of a nation that did not understand the war they fought.

Today our population does a marvelous job of thanking our troops for their service whether they are for or against the war. Our airports are evidence of this phenomenon. However, few American’s today truly understand the nature of conflict that our veterans face.

An emerging trend is that veterans are often thanked for “what they did over there”. Many of us no longer pay attention to what is going on over there. The fear is that many of us cannot locate where over there is on a map or describe the real nature of the conflict. This is more than likely why the term “over there” is used.

Today close to 1.5 million men and women serve in the active military. This represents less than one-half of one percent of the estimated 310 million people that live in the United States.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, during World War II over 16.1 million people served on active duty, representing 11.5% of the estimated 140 million Americans alive at the time.

The reduction of the active force means the military no longer represents the microcosm of society that it once represented. That same small population assumes the burden of multiple deployments.

No longer does the majority of the public have firsthand knowledge or kinship to someone serving in the war. This creates a declining interest in what our troops are doing while deployed. The personal narrative of our troops no longer penetrates all of society as it did during previous conflicts.

Our troops take an oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States. That is the essence of all uniformed service.

For the civilian population there is no such oath or commitment to service. Today it is imperative that all citizens serve the nation by simply providing their attention. Today the nation no longer requires a draft or some form of compulsory service by the entire population.

However, all Americans should take an interest in becoming informed and able to comprehend the efforts of our troops. The service of remaining informed is something all people can engage in not only on Memorial Day but also on every day of the year.

The current disinterest in the activities of the nation’s troops and their efforts in the Global War on Terror are directly evident in the quantity and quality of media coverage our current conflicts receive.

Troops often complain of their frustration with the lack of “feel good” or positive news stories that come out of the war zones. One cannot simply blame the press for having an agenda or being the culprit of such activity.

Much like how our uniformed services used to serve as a microcosm of society, press coverage represents the demand or attention paid to different types of stories by our public. If a story cannot generate sales or interest, it is not likely to receive airtime or publication.

Only public interest can change this dynamic. It is alarming how many stories of heroism that occur in Iraq and Afghanistan that never make it on the air or in print. In recognition of this trend, the U.S. Army has created strategic communication objectives for our troops and leaders while even creating new career fields based upon information operations.

The citizens of our nation should view this trend with alarm; something is wrong when an army must shape news stories in a strategic manner just to garner global and national interest. At home, the interest should be there, with a public that seeks the information and then decides what they believe to be right or wrong.

As a nation, we must relearn the lesson of staying engaged and not isolating ourselves from our international efforts.

There is no greater way to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice than by garnering one’s attention towards their efforts and by ultimately generating an understanding of what our troops are doing while deployed.

This is a great opportunity for individuals and families to learn how to think, not what to think by understanding the adversity our veterans encounter. All it requires is a small amount of free time and intellectual curiosity.

Major Erik Hilberg is an active duty U.S. Army officer stationed at Fort Leavenworth.