As we go about our weekends and activities today, take a moment to pause and reflect. Reflect on the sacrifice of a hero and his family. Reflect on the young life, at just 31 years, of a man of valor and courage. Reflect on the life of a father, a son, a native son — a soldier. Reflect on a fallen hero from Milledgeville as he will be laid to rest Saturday.

Family, friends, fellow soldiers and community members will gather, in sorrowful but heartfelt, spirit at his alma mater, Baldwin High School, at noon for the funeral of Army Staff Sgt. Alex French IV, who was killed in action last week while serving In Afghanistan. He was a proud member of Georgia’s 48th Brigade. He will always be part of that honored band of American troops.

American flags lined the downtown processional route this past Wednesday as scores of local residents honored Staff Sgt. French’s final entrance into Milledgeville and Baldwin County. We will bade his farewell in honor and gratitude, but we can never repay him and his family for his and their profound sacrifice — a sacrifice that no words can describe.

Only about 1 percent of our country is fighting the wars in the Middle East. They know the true horror and pain of warfare. The rest of us receive only impersonal snapshots from a safe distance. In war, there are really no soldiers who leave the battlefield without wounds of some kind. Staff Sgt. French has come home after paying the ultimate sacrifice.

Our soldiers dream of returning to their families and loved ones, to warm beds, to the sun shining on the lake. Staff Sgt. French will not see those that are dear to him again. But we should always remember his character, his valor and his courage in battle and in life.

Staff Sgt. French will no longer dream of battlefields and hometown picnics or camp fires. He is now at peace. He has made all of us proud that he was among us. He has helped make us free. Take a moment today and reflect on the magnitude of his service. Take a moment today and reflect on his family, his children, his honor and his sacrifice. Take a moment and reflect — and never, ever forget.