Memorial Day: We Remember Because We Understand

On Memorial Day, Veterans Don’t Just Reflect—We Relive

As the sun rose over my 68th Memorial Day, I found myself thinking back on the 68,000 brothers and sisters we’ve lost just in my lifetime—from Vietnam to Niger, and all the places in between.

It’s always a somber moment for me. I try to spend it consciously, thinking about them.

We put on our boots and go where we’re told.

We do what we’re taught.

Some of us make it home. Some don’t.

But the ones who didn’t—they’re not gone.

Not really.

Gone from this earth, yes.

But not from our hearts.

Not from our memories.

They survive through those who loved them deeply—and those who honor them for doing the hard things, so others could sleep peacefully in the bosom of this country we call America.

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There’s a silence to Memorial Day that most people don’t notice.

It’s not the quiet of a long weekend. It’s not about cookouts or sales.

For many veterans, it’s a stillness that settles deep in …