Communities across the nation know the pain of wondering what happened to hometown troops who didn't make it back from war, and never were found.

Since World War II, tens of thousands of U.S. military war veterans remain missing in action. Over the years, their families have faced numerous political roadblocks in pressing for details that would help them track down information on their loved ones lost at war.

Family and friends of Garden City's Bobby McKain spent decades waiting and wondering about his fate in the Vietnam War. They knew McKain, an Army helicopter pilot, was part of a mission in May 1968 in South Vietnam when his helicopter was hit by enemy fire. Eyewitnesses said the chopper came apart and spun to the ground in flames.

Other U.S. pilots who flew over the crash site saw no signs of life, and the U.S. Army eventually ruled McKain and his co-pilot missing in action. Still, McKain's family had no way of knowing for sure if he died or somehow survived and needed help. Years and decades passed without answers.

But thanks to recent efforts to identify remains of fallen troops, McKain's fate now is known. DNA testing led to positive identification of his remains, and he will be laid to rest with full military honors Aug. 11 at Arlington National Cemetery.

Sadly, too many American families must continue to wait and wonder about their loved ones still deemed missing in action. Many will never know closure, which is yet another sobering reminder of the tragic cost of war.

The Fourth of July holiday is a time to celebrate our nation's independence. It also should be a time to reflect on the courageous U.S. troops of all wars who made the ultimate sacrifice -- and to wish Godspeed to U.S. military men and women putting their lives on the line every day in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places around the globe.

For those who knew and loved Bobby McKain, this Fourth of July no doubt will have special meaning. For all of us, the hope is his story helps put the price of freedom, something we too often take for granted, in proper perspective.