John --

This is a Memorial Day unlike any other in the South Puget Sound. Like so much in our lives, the traditional plans we had for this weekend have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic.

But as we find different ways to observe today with friends and family -- at a safe distance of course -- I hope we can all take a moment to reflect on what today means.

Memorial Day is about honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice -- Americans who gave their lives in conflict or in service to protect our freedom.

Let’s honor the memory of our lost servicemembers by living up to the values they died serving and defending. Let’s also make sure we are caring for our veterans, and keeping our promises to our active duty servicemembers and military families by delivering the benefits they’ve earned.

I’m proud of the work I did with Congressman Heck for our veterans and our military community. Together we reduced wait times at the VA, fought predatory lenders targeting active duty servicemembers, and protected the interests of military families stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord here in our district.

I hope I’ll have the privilege of continuing to advocate for our veterans in Congress. But in the meantime, I hope we’ll all honor our fallen heroes by living up to the values they believed in: duty, loyalty, integrity, and selfless service.

Take care, and be well.

Sincerely,

Phil Gardner 
  PhilGardner.com