05/25/2026
This Memorial Day, I'll be thinking about the ones who didn't come home.
I spent 20 years in the Army. Iraq. Afghanistan. Kosovo. I led soldiers — some of them barely old enough to vote — and I learned what it means to be responsible for someone else's life.
Memorial Day isn't Veterans Day. It isn't about me, or the others who made it back. It's for the ones who didn't.
The names I carry aren't statistics. They were people — with families, inside jokes, and plans for "after." They gave everything so the rest of us could have ordinary days: barbecues, long weekends, kids running through the backyard.
So enjoy the long weekend. Genuinely. That freedom to gather with the people you love is exactly what they protected.
But somewhere in there, take a quiet minute. Say a name if you know one. Teach your kids why Monday is more than a day off.
To the families who gave a piece of themselves and never got it back — we remember. Today, and every day. 🇺🇸