Every day, American Troops and public safety officers work tirelessly to protect our citizens, enforce laws and protect the country. They report for duty knowing the dangers they face and the sacrifices they may be called upon to make.

This Memorial Day, Americans will pay tribute to the thousands of men and women who serve us with bravery, and we remember the heroes who have lost their lives in pursuit of a safer and democratic society.

We express our deepest appreciation to the men and women in uniform, who gave their lives so we might live in freedom. We remember their unwavering devotion that inspires us all.

This Memorial Day, we must not forget that the heroes called to serve have families, who in turn also serve our country.

A year ago, first lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden launched Joining Forces, an initiative to bring Americans together to recognize, honor and serve our nation’s veterans and military families.

Joining Forces focuses on three key areas – employment, education and wellness – while raising awareness about the service, sacrifice and needs of our troops, veterans and their families.

“When we first started thinking about this concept, we were pretty confident that Americans would answer the call. But the response we’ve seen in our first year has been simply overwhelming,” said Dr. Jill Biden in an op-ed first published in The Hill.

More than 1,600 businesses joined in to hire veterans and military spouses – from Sears and Safeway to Siemens and Snap-On Tools, said Dr. Biden. The businesses have so far hired more than 70,000 veterans and military spouses, and have pledged to hire at least 160,000 more in the coming years.

According to the op-ed, more than 22,000 military spouses have been hired since the Military Spouse Employment Partnership launched last June.

“I was pleased to announce another 34 companies have signed on to the partnership, which includes 100 Fortune 500 ‘Plus’ employers,” said Dr. Biden.

States across the country are also implementing the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which helps ease some of the challenges military children face.

The best part of the JoiningForces effort is that we can all give back in some way. To show our veterans, servicemen, women and their families’ appreciation, we can all join forces to help. Log onto JoiningForces.gov where you can see how to help and learn about more than 50,000 service opportunities.