05/25/2026
Taking time to remember the sacrifices made by our fallen service men and women is noble and honorable.
But may we also remember the lives that came before the sacrifice.
These were children to parents.
Friends who ran and played through neighborhoods.
Classmates.
Husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters.
They grew up.
They learned.
They laughed and cried.
They felt joy, fear, hope, pain, love, and purpose… all the things you and I still have.
And they laid all of that down for freedom. For people they would never meet. So that others could continue holding the lives and people they loved close.
Sure, it hurts to remember.
But we owe them that.
We owe them the honor they earned.
Rebecca and I are deeply grateful for our service men and women, both living and gone... for their courage, their sacrifice, and their willingness to stand between danger and the people they swore to protect.
May God keep their minds sharp, their hearts fierce, their hands strong, their feet agile, and their spirits forever free.
And may they always feel our gratitude, our prayers, and the love this nation still carries for them.
