This is a day to remember, even if the traditional events that remind us cannot take place, due to lingering pandemic restrictions. In addition to marking the start of summer, Memorial Day calls on citizens to pay tribute to their countrymen who have lost their lives in military conflict, a sacrifice made in defense of American freedoms.

The coronavirus pandemic has meant the cancellation of the Hawaii Memorial Day Parade, from Fort DeRussy to the Waikiki Shell, as well as the Punchbowl cemetery ceremony. Some events are scaled down: Boy Scouts will still put a flag on veterans’ graves, but the community lei-making effort to supply the added floral decorations was called off.

It may be a low-key observance again this year, but the reasons for showing appreciation are certainly shifting into high gear. The military in Hawaii is increasingly pivotal, both because of its geographic location and, from the local perspective, as an indispensable economic base.

On the first point: The Pacific region is a focal point in strategic planning for national defense, all the more now because of heightened tensions with China.

In two “Island Voices” commentaries the Honolulu Star-Advertiser published May 16, two military experts with Hawaii ties, Carl O. Schuster and Bill Sharp, noted the major role that the military almost certainly will play across the Indo-Pacific Command, headquartered here.

Hawaii’s strategic importance is undeniable, Sharp wrote, enumerating all the reasons. It’s the base for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Army Pacific, U.S. Pacific Marine Corps Forces Pacific and the 14th U.S. Coast Guard District. The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is world-famous, and the islands are home to branches of the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Above all, it is Pearl Harbor and its place in history that serves as a constant reminder of the ultimate sacrifice that so many made on Dec. 7, 1941, an attack that drew the U.S. into World War II. The bombs shattered the quiet of a Sunday morning, and that is how suddenly a standoff can turn into the heat of battle.

That dreaded possibility is something to keep top of mind. Schuster ticked off the potential flash points with China: Beijing’s expansion of military power, flexing its muscle with neighbors across Asia. Conflict with Taiwan, which the People’s Republic of China still sees as its territory, is especially worrisome.

From the economic and sheer social standpoint in Hawaii, the impact is undeniable. The Hawaii Military Affairs Council puts the military sector at 10% of the state’s population and ranks it as the No. 2 economic driver, behind tourism.

All of that said, it’s still easy for most of the population, which came of age long after wartime compulsory service, to forget just how important the military is to them as Americans and as residents of Hawaii. All too often that recedes behind whatever debate or contentious issues that have risen to the surface on any given day.

But at least on this day, it’s fitting to mark the end of national Military Appreciation Month, and Memorial Day itself, with a clear-eyed recognition of what members of the armed forces provide. Yes, it’s a job with pay and benefits like any other, but the career path is defined not by self-interest but by the country’s need for national security — an imperative that never goes away.

Even without the parades to mark the occasion, today should inspire a gesture for military members within one’s own circle. They are fulfilling a duty deserving of Hawaii’s thanks.