I spent this Memorial Day as a lot of Missourians did: barbecuing and enjoying the sunshine with my family. But as my young children asked about the meaning of the holiday weekend on our way to a tribute event, I struggled with how to express to them the true meaning of Memorial Day.

This is what I settled on: The price of something is determined by what you are willing to pay for it. And what is the price of freedom?

The men and women we honor on Memorial Day believed the United States of America was worth paying the ultimate price.

There are precious few things we as human beings are willing to give our lives for. And yet, I remember the day I swore an oath to protect the United States from her enemies — both foreign and domestic — and to give my life, if necessary, to do so. On that day, I felt no hesitation.

Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, my plans for my future changed, just as so many others’ did. I put law school on hold, took a commission as an officer in the Army, and swore an oath to defend our Constitution. I volunteered for a combat arms branch of service to take the fight to the enemies of freedom, volunteered to go to Iraq, and did two tours as an Armored Cavalry Officer. I was fortunate to make it back home. Many of my colleagues never did, including one of my soldiers and my best friend from college. That is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

As I spent Memorial Day attempting to answer my young children’s questions about what this day means, I realized that those who never made it home came to the same conclusion that I did at 21 years old: this nation is worth dying for.

After all, Memorial Day is our poignant reminder that freedom is not free. Jesus drove that point home in John 15:13 when he said, “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for a friend.” He modeled that for us by giving his life for our eternal freedom. And the men and women we honor on Memorial Day modeled it for us by giving their lives for our earthly freedom.

It is said that no man can learn how to die until he has learned how to live. The men and women we honor this Memorial Day learned to live in faith. Faith that America is bigger than our ideological differences. Faith that freedom is mankind’s most noble pursuit. And faith that God above holds us all in his loving arms. To honor the sacrifice of our fallen, we must ignite a revolution of patriotism, and put America first.

We must lead lives dedicated to preserving the very ideals these heroes perished to defend: freedom, liberty, and hope.

As I explained to my children, Americans are blessed to live in the greatest country on earth, protected by a system of governance never before seen by mankind. A system of, by and for the people. The same ideals that compelled me to service as a young man, and ignited my passion for the law, are the same ones that make our country worth fighting, and dying for, today. The men and women in uniform knew the cost of protecting America, and they paid it anyway.

We honor their sacrifice when we live every day like it’s Memorial Day.

That is what I try to do in memory of my fellow soldiers who never made it home. It is what I try to do in order to leave a better Missouri for my kids. And it is what I try to do every day as your Attorney General.

Memorial Day does not have to be only one day per year. We owe it to them — to our heroes — to live every day like it’s Memorial Day.

Andrew Bailey is a combat veteran and the 44th Attorney General of the State of Missouri.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Andrew Bailey: Live every day like it’s Memorial Day