May 20, 2015
Pausing to remember and honor America’s fallen service members is a practice dating back more than 100 years. Since the days of the Civil War, humble Americans have gathered together on Memorial Day to remember and pay tribute to all who have fought and selflessly surrendered the precious gift of life, so that other could live free.
Again we gather this Memorial Day, as a nation solemnly united in remembrance of the fallen defenders of our great nation. Freedom is not free. It has come at great cost, paid for with the lives of our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, friends and comrades.
Every American owes a great debt to the courageous men and women who have selflessly given their all to defend and protect our way of life. And while giving back to the extent they deserve is impossible, celebrating their memory and honoring their most selfless deeds offers a start.
As barbeques, picnics and other activities take place this weekend, we must remain ever-cognizant of the expensive price tag that comes along with these daily freedoms we enjoy. Those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live free of tyranny and fear believed in something greater than themselves. They believed in the American way of life and were willing to die protecting it.
This Memorial Day, pause to reflect on the absolute selflessness of the 1.3 million members of our nation’s military who paid the price needed to ensure our way of life endures, And let us not forget the families whose pain will never go away, but may lessen with our thanks and prayers.
God Bless our fallen, their families, and the men and women in uniform all over the world.