05/25/2026
Today I hold close the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free. 🇺🇸
I have personal stories of someone very close to me who earned the Purple Heart after saving several fellow soldiers while witnessing the loss of the friends who had become his family. He was only in his late teens and early twenties when this happened. Though he survived, he carried survivor’s guilt with him for the rest of his life.
As I travel, I often come across monuments dedicated to soldiers who never made it home — many whose remains were never even found. There is one in particular in Europe that has always stayed with me: a memorial standing quietly beside the ocean, honoring young men who sailed out to protect their country and never returned.
Standing there, looking out over the water, it becomes impossible not to think about the weight of that sacrifice. The dreams they never got to fulfill. The families forever changed. The freedoms we experience every single day because of people willing to give everything.
So today, I challenge all of us to pause for a moment — beyond the cookouts, long weekends, and celebrations — and truly appreciate the price that was paid for the freedoms we often take for granted.
May we never forget those who gave their lives, nor the families who carried that loss long after the war ended. ❤️🤍💙
Freedom is not free.
