Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Shanon Resha, a Baldwin County

Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Shanon Resha, a Baldwin County patrol supervisor and Georgia National Guard Purple Heart recipient, sits with his family during a moment of remembrance for the fallen, Tuesday. Georgians, National Guardsmen still actively serving the state and those who have given their lives in defense of our country, were honored during a special morning Memorial Day ceremony today by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, before peers and citizens. Memorializing the more than 6,800 who have given their lives since September 11, 2001, key note speaker, Col. Bruce Chick, Georgia Department of Defense director of domestic operations, called the moment a somber time and that "each figure represents the life of a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, sons and daughters." Chick deployed with the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team to Iraq in 2005-2006. "They were family. They were your family. They were MY family!" (Georgia Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Tracy J. Smith)