Dear Friends,

A significant part of what it means to be made in the image of God is to love something so much that you’re willing to die for it.

This weekend, we honor those who loved us and our country enough to fight and die for both us and the nation. They, and their families, follow in a long tradition of men and women who saw all the greatness and exceptionalism of which our nation is capable, and in service to it they signed a blank check pledging everything up to and including their lives.

And by giving their lives in service to our great country, those we remember today have ensured that we and the founding truths that make America a singular beacon of liberty in the world would also endure. Many of us will likely join our voices together in singing the National Anthem at some point over the next few days. When we do so, we are remembering these men and women and all the hope and possibilities their sacrifice represents. Their actions have made this “the home of the brave.” So, when we lift our voices together singing The Star-Spangled Banner, let us do so with the mindfulness that we carry forward and honor the memory of those who died in its shadow.

May God bless you and your family this Memorial Day. And may He continue to protect our country and the brave men and women who serve it.

Sincerely,

Joseph Kohm III
Director, Public Policy

Dear Friends,

I remember where I was when I decided to serve my country.

I stood next to the headstone of one of my ancestors at Arlington National Cemetery—it was there that I chose to put on my country’s uniform. Hallowed ground can have that effect on someone, and we set Memorial Day weekend aside to remember the sacrifices that hallowed those grounds, sacrifices given not just by service members, but by their families and other loved ones as well.

Every Gold Star Family member owns a share in these small plots of land that grace our country. For you and me, these courageous service members and their families offered up their bodies, their minds, their liberties, and their relationships sacrificially to preserve freedom.

Therefore, on this Memorial Day weekend, it is appropriate that we put into perspective just how large that sacrifice has been in recent memory. Since 2001, 7,008 U. S. military service members have made this sacrifice in the Global War on Terror, and over fifty thousand have been wounded.

These brave citizen soldiers have bled and died for our freedom to cherish our values, freedom to hold our family members tight, and to protect the America they loved.

This Memorial Day, we thank you for your support, and ask that you continue to join with us in the effort to preserve the freedoms that our fallen warriors purchased at the highest price.

Sincerely,

Joseph Kohm
Public Policy Director