Jim Crigler was given a week to rest and recuperate during his yearlong tour as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam — time he spent burying his wartime friend and roommate in Fond du Lac, Wis.

He says that was the first time he met a Gold Star family and sensed the magnitude of their loss. It was also his first opportunity, he said, to express his gratitude to the family of a fallen soldier, a gesture he wishes more people would make.  Read more