May 29, 2016 3 min read

W e pause today on Memorial Day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

The solemn occasion is marked with services all across the nation, at cemeteries, war monuments and veterans’ halls.

Thousands gathered Sunday morning at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township for a poignant service, as is done every year.

And, last week, Jefferson-Morgan High School students spent time with American Legion members from Jefferson placing flags at the headstones of veterans laid to rest at Greene County Memorial Park.

There were numerous weekend events designed to remember the fallen and what their sacrifice means for the freedoms we enjoy.

But it is also important that today is not the only time that we reflect on the sacrifices of our servicemen and women. We are, after all, still engaged in battles against extremists in Iraq and Syria, while the fight in Afghanistan rages on with seemingly no end in sight.

This country has grown numb to perpetual war over the past 15 years.

What is in store for the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who must fight these wars?

We’ve heard little, if anything, during this perpetual presidential campaign about what vision the candidates have for our military involvement in the world.

Hillary Clinton, the likely winner of the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, and presumptive-Republican nominee Donald Trump must begin to articulate plans for hot spots in the Middle East, along with how they view the wind-down to the war in Afghanistan.

Trump, in fact, has said he has no intention of describing his military plans to the American people, so as not to telegraph any strategy to the enemy. That’s a dangerous platform, and one that gives voters no indication of what a Trump presidency would bring as it relates to either diplomacy or war.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration’s war powers when it comes to fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria are now under a legal challenge.

Army Capt. Nathan Michael Smith earlier this month sued the administration, claiming Obama has no legal authority to command the fight against ISIS and must first get Congressional authorization to continue the mission.

The Obama administration argues it already has the authority from Congress through an authorization to use military power against al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations that was approved immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Regardless of the outcome, the American people should demand Congress debate and vote on whether any operation in any part of the world falls under that 2002 authorization, or whether new missions should receive a full and independent review apart from earlier conflicts.

These wars have raged for far too long without a proper review by our nation’s citizens. And the harmful consequence is that the public has become detached from the agonizing sacrifices made by our warriors and their families.

We must demand a clear vision from the two leading candidates running for president about how they see America’s role in the world, while also questioning and even challenging our current president’s missions.

Our veterans deserve that. But, most importantly, the men and women serving in uniform right now deserve that.