Remember Our Fallen Heroes

Since the Revolutionary War, America's first fight for independence, men and women have stood up to defend the freedoms we hold dear. Those freedoms were not given. They were purchased with sacrifice, written in the lives of those who believed that liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness were worth dying for.

The Greatest Generation answered the call in World War II and returned home to a nation that celebrated them openly and without apology. We knew what we owed them. We felt it. And for a time, we lived gratefully in the fruit of their sacrifice. But the world would not stay quiet. Barely had the dust settled before our heroes were sent to Korea, asked to turn around and fight again, to secure freedom not just for Americans, but for others across the globe.

Then came Vietnam, a dark chapter in how we treated those who served. They obeyed. They bled. They lost friends and years and parts of themselves. And they came home to silence, or worse. We have spent decades trying to make up for that failure, and we should never stop trying. Since then, through the Gulf Wars and countless conflicts in forgotten corners of the world, our men and women have continued to place the value of our lives above their own. That is not a small thing. It is everything.

On Memorial Day, we pause to say what must be said: we remember, we are grateful, and we will not forget. To the families who received a folded flag instead of their loved ones returning home, thank you. Your loss is not lost on us.

But remembrance alone is not enough. As we honor what our fallen heroes did for us, we must also ask what we can do for each other. Every generation has its own battle, not always fought on foreign soil, but in homes, communities, schools, and the quiet choices of daily life. We can choose to fight dishonesty, injustice, and the forces that erode what is good. We can serve our neighbors, care for the vulnerable, strengthen our families, and refuse to look away when something needs to be done. We can protect the liberties that allow every person to work, to think freely, and to build a life of meaning.

The virtues that carried soldiers through war, courage, sacrifice, and service, are not relics. They are the foundation of any society that wishes to endure. They belong in our homes and our schools, passed from one generation to the next like a torch that must never go out. Let us be worthy of what was given to us.

Let us win back what is slipping away, together, and let us not shrink when it costs us something. It has always cost something. That is precisely the point.

Never forget. Thank you to those who serve today, and to all who gave everything for us.

If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas you would like to discuss, I would truly welcome the opportunity to personally speak with you. Please feel free to contact me directly at 517.775.1637 or gina@ginaformichigan.com

Sincerely,

Paid for by CTE Gina Johnsen Senate, 114 Blossom Dr, Portland, MI 48875