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.
