Memorial Day is a sacred invitation to remember that the freedoms we enjoy were purchased at a cost that can never be fully repaid, only honored.
Each year, on the last Monday in May, our nation pauses to honor the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Memorial Day is not about a long weekend, the start of summer, or a sale... it is about remembrance, gratitude, and a quiet promise that those who gave their lives will not be forgotten.
Unlike Veterans Day, which honors all who have served, Memorial Day is specifically set aside for those who made the ultimate sacrifice in uniform. It is a day to stand, as best we can, “on behalf of a grateful nation” and acknowledge the weight of lives given in defense of our country and its ideals.
A First Military Funeral
I will never forget the first military funeral I attended in 2007. I was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, home of the Field Artillery, training with my unit to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, just weeks away from leaving. The memory of that day still feels almost out of body: the heat, the uniforms, the hush that settled over the formation.
It was a warm spring day, and the air felt heavy with emotion. The chaplain and commanding officer offered kind words and memories, speaking of the fallen soldier’s life, character, and service. Their words were brief but powerful, a reminder that behind every rank and last name is a son or daughter, a friend, a teammate.
The Final Roll Call
Toward the end of the ceremony, the unit held a Final Roll Call, one of the most sobering traditions in the military. One by one, the names of unit members were called, each Soldier responding firmly, “Here, Sergeant,” standing at attention. The cadence was familiar, like a standard accountability formation, yet the atmosphere made every response feel heavier.
Then they reached the name of the fallen soldier. The name was called once. Silence. It was called again. Silence. A third time. Silence that felt like it stretched on forever. After that first pause, a lone trumpeter began to play Taps, the simple, haunting melody carrying across the field as the family began to weep.
Even though that funeral took place nearly twenty years ago, it is still with me today. Every year around Memorial Day, my mind returns to that formation, to that Final Roll Call, to the sound of Taps and the sight of a grieving family receiving a folded flag on behalf of a grateful nation.
Why We Remember
When I think about Memorial Day, I think about ceremonies like that one repeated across generations; on battlefields, in small-town cemeteries, on bases here and abroad. I think about the men and women who fell in service to the defense of our nation, in service to our values, our traditions, our expectations, and the very idea of America. I think about my own time in uniform and feel an immense sense of pride, respect, and gratitude for those I served with and for their families, who also bear the burden of service.
Memorial Day calls us to recognize that we are recipients of a legacy we did not earn alone. We live, work, worship, and raise our families under freedoms secured by people who were willing to lay down everything. We quite literally stand on the shoulders of giants - ordinary Americans who did extraordinary things when their country needed them.
An Invitation For This Weekend
This Weekend, I hope you will carve out a moment beyond the barbecues and ballgames to reflect on those who never made it home. Attend a ceremony, visit a cemetery, pause at 3:00 p.m. for a moment of silence, or simply share a story about someone who served and sacrificed.
We owe it to them - and to ourselves - not to take their sacrifices lightly. We owe it to their families and to each other to tell their stories, to live in a way that honors their courage, and to remember that the opportunities we enjoy today are built on commitments made yesterday. This Memorial Day, may we each do our part, in big ways or small, to stand humbly and sincerely on behalf of a grateful nation.