You’ve undoubtably seen this meme; the young woman lying across a young soldier’s grave, as a reminder of what Memorial Day is all about.

But there are other images that have stuck with me throughout the course of the last two wars that our servicemembers have been involved in.

The widow on an air mattress in front of her husband’s casket, a Marine standing guard next to both his fallen comrade and his widow:

Todd Heisler/Rocky Mountain News via Associated Press

Or the loyal dog, laying wait at his Navy Seal master’s coffin. I have a dog like this, a huge, incredibly loyal dog who is always right next to us and is fiercely protective of our family. I know that in this situation, our Hank would do the exact same thing. It reminds us that there is, in fact, a person in that casket.

AP Photo/KIMT New 3, Shane Delaney

These images stick with us. Humans are so visual that sometimes it takes a punch in the gut, like the ones delivered by these photos, to remind us of the sacrifices being made by service members and their loved ones on this Memorial Day.

What images of soldiers stick with you, from any of the conflicts our nation has been involved in? Is there one that stands out to you as the image of what Memorial Day means to you?

Read more from GMP’s collection of Memorial Day stories