On This Memorial Day...Thank You

Barbecues. A parade filled with patriotic colors. A day at the beach. Cookies or cupcakes with stars on top. This is what Memorial Day looks like to so many. On the outside, this is what Memorial Day looks like on me.

On the inside, however, I am truly in awe. I could not personally identify one of the 5,462 faces of the fallen in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. I have never left a memento alongside the grave of a loved one lost. I never bore witness to the site of a flag-draped casket holding someone near and dear to me. I never had to say goodbye like this…or this…or this.

My thoughts and prayers today are not only with those fallen, but also with those grieving parents, friends, siblings, husbands, wives and children. For your sacrifices, I honor you, I pray for you, and I thank you.