Memorial Day is more than the beginning of summer or a long weekend on the calendar. It is a sacred reminder that the freedoms we enjoy as Americans were purchased at a tremendous cost by men and women who never made it home.
During more than 22 years serving in the United States Army, I witnessed firsthand the courage, dedication, and sense of duty carried by the men and women who wore this nation’s uniform. I also witnessed the burden carried by military families who stood behind them through every deployment, every hardship, and every uncertain outcome.
From the days of Lexington & Concord, to Fullujah and Ramadi, or Tora Bora, Kandahar, and the mountains of Central Asia, Americans from every generation have stepped forward to defend freedom and protect the country they love.
And for some, those battlefields became their final resting place.
Today there are folded flags displayed in homes and empty seats at family gatherings. There are parents who lost sons and daughters, spouses who lost husbands and wives, and children who grew up without a mother or father because someone they loved chose service to something greater than themselves.
We owe those heroes, and their families, more than just our gratitude.
The best way we can honor them is not only with remembrance, but by living lives worthy of their example. We honor them by serving our communities, loving our country, supporting one another, defending freedom, and never taking for granted the blessings we have as Americans.
As we pause this Memorial Day, I hope every Tennessean takes a moment to honor the fallen, pray for the families they left behind, and reflect on the responsibility each of us has to preserve the country they fought to defend.
May God bless the families of our fallen heroes, our veterans, and the United States of America.
-Jeremy Thompson
