Memorial Day Is Not About "Me"

Every year, as Memorial Day weekend begins, social media starts to fill up with the familiar posts.

“Thank you for your service.”

As a veteran, I understand the intent.

Most people are trying to be kind.

They are trying to show respect.

They are trying to acknowledge something they believe matters.

But on Memorial Day, that phrase has always sat wrong with me.

Memorial Day is not about thanking living veterans for their service.

That is Veterans Day.

Memorial Day is about remembering the men and women who paid the ultimate price.

It is about those who raised their right hand, served this nation, and never came home.

That distinction matters.

I served.

I came home.

I built a life.

I have had years with my family, years to work, years to grow, years to complain about traffic and bad coffee and airport behavior like everyone else.

Too many did not get those years.

So when people ask me what I would rather hear or see instead of “thank you for your service” on Memorial Day, my answer is simple.

Do something.

Not perform something.

Not post something just to check the box.

Do something real.

Serve the community of veterans.

Support the families of the fallen.

Give to organizations doing legitimate work.

Volunteer.

Check on a Gold Star family.

Help a veteran who is struggling.

Support programs that provide housing, healing, training, mental health resources, family support, and dignity.

There are many good ways to give back.

One organization I personally respect is the Gary Sinise Foundation, because their mission is focused on honoring defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need.

But the larger point is this, find a way to serve.

Memorial Day weekend should be enjoyed.

Fire up the grill.

Spend time with your family.

Go to the lake.

Watch the parade.

Laugh with your kids.

Sit in a lawn chair and be grateful for a country where we still have the freedom to gather, worship, speak, work, build, disagree, and dream.

Enjoy the weekend.

Just do not forget why you can.

Freedom is not free.

That phrase gets used so often that it can almost lose its weight, but it is still true.

The cost was paid by real people with real names, real families, real futures, and real dreams that ended too soon.

So this Memorial Day, before you post the easy sentence, pause for a moment.

Ask yourself a better question.

What can I actually do?

Because remembrance should move us.

Gratitude should move us.

Freedom should move us.

Honor the fallen by serving the living.

That is how we remember well.