DULUTH, Minnesota - As those thinking of becoming soldiers arrive on the slushy doorstep of the U.S. Army recruiting station here, they cannot miss the message posted in bold black letters on the storefront right next door.

"Remember the Fallen Heroes," the sign reads, and then it ticks off numbers: the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq, the number wounded, the number of days gone by since the war began.

I sense the reason the recruiters want that sign taken down is because it makes their job all that much harder. They have to sugar coat the military life to attract more recruits. They'll talk all day about the college money, experience, prestige and honor, but they'll never mention the possibility that you'll be wounded, maimed or killed. Recruiters actively ignore the negative aspects of serving the country, and to ignore the people who have made the ultimate sacrifice is to completely disrespect them. That sign is not disheartening, it's a brutally candid reminder we all need.