The Power of Bravery

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." - Elmer Davis.

This Monday in the US, we solemnly honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, trading their lives for our freedom. Yet, for some, the significance of this remarkable sacrifice is overshadowed by the allure of BBQs, picnics, retail sales, and other distractions of the day. It begs the question, do we distract ourselves because we struggle to comprehend the enormity of that sacrifice??

Since the founding of America, we have lost approximately 1,304,705 soldiers.?

That is roughly the same size as the population of Philadelphia, PA, San Antonio, TX, or San Diego, CA. These soldiers came from all walks of life, representing the diversity of our nation. They were fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, friends, and neighbors. Their sacrifice is a testament to the strength and unity of our nation.?

On June 6th, 1944 alone, during the D-Day invasion, 4,415 soldiers died, so freedom wouldn't. For perspective, there are 3,722 roster spots for the major sports leagues in the US (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL). In one 24-hour period, we lost more than the equivalent of all of our major league sports combined. We witnessed what happened when we lost one sports hero when Kobi Bryant, unfortunately, lost his life in the 2020 helicopter crash. Imagine the outcry if we lost our entire major league sports teams, especially if they were willing to give up their lives for a cause.?

We can't fathom the seemingly counterintuitive rationale that dying for something worth believing in is better than living a life without freedom because we have the immense privilege of growing up in the land of freedom. This act of bravery seems almost antiquated as we see the number of active duty fatalities decrease over the years, with the vast majority of them occurring outside the US borders. Maybe we are challenged to think that our lives are worth the sacrifice of someone else's life.?

This Memorial Day, let's enjoy the day off and remember and appreciate our freedom, thanks to their sacrifice.?Let's instill a sense of honor, duty, and sacrifice for the cause in current and future generations.

Let us remember that "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States, where men were free.” - Ronald Regan