Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer for most of us. We grill, we head to the beach, or just hang out and enjoy a three day weekend. We often forget that Memorial Day is the time that we should pause and remember the sacrifices that our troops have made to keep our country free. Two men decided to show the cost of war during the 70th anniversary of D-Day last year.

'The Fallen' is a tribute to the 9 thousand Allied and German troops who were killed on the beach of Normandy during D-Day, June 4th, 1944. Artists Jaime Wardley and Andy Moss came up with the idea to show people what happens, "when peace is not present."

Each of the 9 thousand soldiers was represented by a figure stenciled in the sand by a team of over 500 people, some of whom said they wanted to help with the project because they had lost loved ones in World War II, or in Afghanistan.

The figures that were stenciled on the sand were eventually washed away, but the images of all those figures, each one representing a fallen soldier, is heartbreaking. One of the artists said it was "incredibly moving when the last one disappeared just a few hours after the volunteers finished placing them on the beach."

Sometimes it's easy to forget that we still have troops fighting, and dying, every day. It's even easier to forget those who died so long ago. But 'The Fallen' shows us all exactly what it means to leave your home, go to a foreign land, fight, and die.

To those soldiers who gave their lives for us so long ago, and to those who are still fighting for us now, we thank you for your willingness to leave your loved ones behind, not knowing if you'll be coming home, or if you'll be a figure in the sand in a place where peace was not present.

God bless you all for your sacrifice. God bless America.

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