As the gentle winds of May sweep across Colorado, bringing the scent of freshly cut grass and the sound of laughter from family gatherings, it is easy to get lost in the festive atmosphere of the impending summer or the running of the Bolder Boulder.

Memorial Day will be observed tomorrow. It marks an unofficial start to summer for many. However, beneath the barbecues, parades and the allure of long weekend sales, there lies a profound significance that demands our reflection and respect.

It’s not just another holiday; it is a day of remembrance, dedicated to honoring the men and women who lost their lives in military service to the United States. As an Eagle Boy Scout, our troop would place flags in our local cemeteries or hand out poppies to proudly wear to keep alive the memories of the past.

The day also acknowledges the pain of Gold Star families — those who lost a family member to war — who have made an immense personal sacrifice for the greater good. Their loss is immeasurable, and as a nation, it is our solemn duty to ensure their loved ones are remembered not just as soldiers, sailors, airmen or Marines, but also as individuals who once lived, loved and hoped. Let’s honor their legacy by promoting peace, strengthening our communities and caring for the families they left behind.

Celebrating Memorial Day should be a day for national unity. It is a day to bring together people from diverse backgrounds to reflect on the price of freedom. Freedom is never free; it is bought by the lives of extraordinary individuals who answered their country’s call.

My dad’s generation was called the “greatest generation,” those who grew up during the Great Depression and who fought in WWII, or whose labor helped win it. They were low-key citizens who returned to ordinary lives. At home some produced war goods, served in government or provided moral support to overseas troops; gave us the unique sight of women in uniform; and many postponed their careers to fight in the war. It was the greatest generation because they saw their duty as the right thing to do, not to gain fame and recognition. My dad was an ensign on the USS Pensacola for three years, three months and three days in the South Pacific.

So, what happened? When did we sacrifice solid American values and instead start wallowing in greed, power and self-centeredness? It may have been in the late 1900s when the self-sacrifice and teamwork that helped the United States to persevere began disintegrating into greed and materialism.

Maybe it’s because people debate topics such as the legitimacy of elections every minute of every day on social media.

The enemies today are not Japan, Italy or Germany. Instead, they are domestically produced: global warming, mass shootings, conspiracy theories, domestic terrorism, the nation’s political divide, a growing antigovernment sentiment that’s exemplified by angry radio and television public affairs programs, the high costs of higher education and health care, the misuse of technology through fake news, an economy that doesn’t work for all, the crumbling of the middle class, and the battle for control between authoritarianism and democracy.

There’s a crying need for Americans of all ages to step up and live the noble ideals that carried us through tough times — not just World War II, but also the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression, the 9/11 attacks, Watergate, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, and the assassinations of President Kennedy, his brother Bobby as well as of Martin Luther King Jr., and the attack on our nation’s capitol on Jan. 6.

Today, there are serious enemies to our greatness: A country that teaches our kids to put forth an effort only when they can expect a big reward and to work at jobs not to earn money for college, but to spend on useless stuff. There is the birth of Artificial Intelligence, which will fundamentally change our country and the world. There is apathy, a force of inertia that keeps us addicted to cell phones, social media and things devoted to our pleasures. There is still too much anger and violence, in our schools and in our neighborhoods, in society, and, of course, in our hearts.

We need a new “Greatest Generation” to seize control of their futures and ensure the United States’ status as the world’s most powerful nation. They must make a new commitment to public service and contributions beyond just political agendas.

We need to continue to share our unique talents overseas, offering the latest techniques in such areas as producing safe drinking water, operating farms, building schools, providing medical assistance and so much more.

On the home front, we need new volunteers to work in our schools, civic organizations and charities, and to help revitalize our communities.

We need parents to run for school boards and to help their kids with homework. We also need courageous community leaders who will help local governments manage the public’s business without fear of mean-spirited personal attacks. We need people to help tutor at-risk kids and to register new voters.

We still need all Americans to show us we still have the right stuff and that war is not the only way to prove greatness. Sacrifice, unity, hard work and humility must once again define the American character.

We’re not a broken nation but simply unfinished and always striving not to become perfect, but to become a “more perfect union” as enumerated in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution.

It is time that we all get to work or risk becoming the “worst generation.”

Jim Martin can be reached at jimmartinesq@gmail.com.