Memorial Day is the day we remember the price they paid. It’s also something much more than that. Jocko Willink does a fantastic job of putting it all in perspective.
There is a common thread through our history… weaving from Lexington and Concord straight through to the modern-day. Something that unites men and women from every walk of life, from every state of the union, spanning two and a half centuries.
The circumstances under which they served were different. The objectives, the theatre of war, and the enemy were different. The struggles they labored under were different. Even the equipment they used changed over time.
But with all of those changes, there was a constant thread through it all.
One common thread. The heart beating faster when the danger rose around them. The private hope they set aside for a higher public good.
Whatever may have changed, one constant remained — every great feat accomplished and tragic loss suffered was not by metal and machine, but by the person inside the uniform.
They left a legacy that the rest of us enjoy.
Let us honor them properly not only by remembering them, as we must.
Let us also honor them by fully embracing and appreciating those freedoms purchased for us at so dear a price.
