Memorial Day, 2025

Remembering our fallen – the best of the best – in France.

On this Memorial Day, let us pause—not just for a moment, but with full hearts—to remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. Their courage, their devotion, and their willingness to lay down their lives are the very reasons we are free to gather, to speak, to live, and to hope.

It has been said—perhaps callously —that “a single death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic.” But today, we push back against that cold arithmetic. Today, we say each life matters. Each name etched in stone is someone’s son, someone’s daughter, someone’s love. Their absence is not a number—it is a wound felt in homes, in memories, in empty seats at the table.

Some of us know that grief firsthand. Some have felt that sharp, silent moment when the knock comes at the door and time stands still. Others have been spared that pain, but few among us do not have, somewhere in our family tree or in our circle of friends, someone who answered the call and never came home.

So today, let us remember them—not just as soldiers, but as people. Let us summon empathy, and let that empathy stir us to action. Comfort those who mourn. Stand with those who carry silent sorrow. Uplift those who feel forgotten.

And most of all, live with gratitude. Let your freedom remind you that it came at a cost. Let your daily joys be acts of honor for those who can no longer share in them.

Take courage, as they did. Live well, as they hoped we would.

And let us never, ever forget.

Thank you.
Gregor

It’s staggering to consider that the Civil War claimed the lives of roughly 750,000 Americans—about 2% of the population at the time. To put that in perspective, it would be equivalent to losing over 7 million people today. In the wake of such immense national grief, Americans across the country began holding tributes to honor those who had fallen. These observances coalesced into what became known as Decoration Day, a solemn tradition of adorning soldiers’ graves with flowers and flags. The first official nationwide commemoration took place on May 30, 1868, as declared by Union veterans’ leader General John A. Logan. Chosen because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle, the date symbolized unity and remembrance. Over time, Decoration Day evolved into Memorial Day, a national holiday dedicated to honoring all U.S. military personnel who gave their lives in service. What began as a gesture of mourning became a cornerstone of national memory and gratitude.