A Day of Remembrance

During my tour of Vietnam, I remember after each search and destroy operation, we would gather on the flight deck of the USS Okinawa, a helicopter carrier, for a solemn ceremony. One by one, the names of the fallen were read aloud by the Chaplin. As he spoke each name, a fellow Marine from their squad would step forward with precision and purpose. He would march to a designated spot on the deck, remove his helmet, and place it carefully among a growing formation of helmets, each representing a Marine who didn't return to the ship. No speeches. No music. Just silence, reverence, and the weight of sacrifice.

It was quiet. Sacred. It was a powerful tribute to those who gave everything.

Over time, Memorial Day has signaled the beginning of summer, sales, barbecues, and long weekends. But its true meaning runs much deeper.

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance. It exists to honor the men and women of the U.S. military who died in service to our country. Not veterans in general, not those currently serving, but specifically those who never made it home.

These were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, neighbors and friends. They raised their right hands, took an oath, and gave their lives in defense of ideals bigger than themselves. Whether they died on foreign soil, in training accidents, or in battles most of us will never fully understand, their sacrifice was real and final.

Memorial Day is not about politics or war. It's about people, ordinary Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice.

So yes, let's enjoy our weekend. Gather with loved ones. But please, also take a moment to pause. Visit a cemetery. Tell your children what this day is for. Fly a flag. Speak the names of the fallen if you know them.

The freedoms we enjoy were bought by those who gave it all.

Let’s never forget.

---

👀 Discover how to uncover what you don’t know you don’t know with my book Blind Spots in Relationships, get it today, http://tinyurl.com/yc3usfsp