Friend —

Having worked alongside the military for years, Memorial Day is an important day for me. It’s an opportunity to remember the legions of men and women who have paid the ultimate price in service to the country we all love.

But while I, along with so many across the country, will be formally recognizing their sacrifice through memorials and parades, the enormity of the sacrifice can sometimes be too big to comprehend. And for that reason, every Memorial Day, I focus on one person’s sacrifice, as a way to make the recognition of the day more real.

That person is my friend, Major Stuart Wolfer. It was a Friday night on my third tour in Baghdad in 2008 when we had a religious service and went to the chow hall together. On Sunday of that weekend, he was killed by an Iranian rocket in the Green Zone.

Every spring, Stu’s amazing family organizes a memorial Zoom to recognize the anniversary of his death, catch up, and watch how his family and friends have gotten on with another year without him. On the Zoom you’ll see current and former US military, Australian military, current and former State Department folks, contractors, and, most importantly, Stu’s wife and kids. We have seen his kids grow into strong young women without him, and his wife, parents and siblings moving on, but never quite the same.

It is a ritual that helps me feel the power of Memorial Day, and make plain the gaping hole left in the wake of one soldier’s sacrifice.

So today, on this most sacred of days, I urge you to find a single person to recognize or learn about. I urge you to ask the veterans in your family about the person they knew best who never made it back, and to listen to their specific story. These are some of the most important stories we can pass down to each other, and as the stories live on, so do the people who loved them.

I firmly believe that service is the greatest love letter you can offer our country. Thank you today to all the active duty, Guard, Reserves and veterans — you help us remember what today is all about.

Elissa

PAID FOR BY ELISSA SLOTKIN FOR MICHIGAN

P.O. Box 4145
East Lansing, MI 48826

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Elissa Slotkin served in the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense. Use of her job titles and photographs during service do not imply endorsement by the Central Intelligence Agency OR the Department of Defense.