11/11/2025
🌺To Every Veteran: You Carried Us When We Couldn’t Carry Ourselves
Today, I want to say something I don’t say enough… thank you.
But even those words feel small compared to what you’ve done.
You were someone’s son or daughter. Maybe someone’s parent, partner, or best friend.
You had dreams of your own, a whole life ahead of you.
And then you chose to put all of that on hold… or at risk… for the rest of us.
You endured things most of us will never have to face…
the weight of a rifle, the fear before dawn, the loss of brothers and sisters in arms whose names are etched in your heart forever.
You spent holidays in deserts, on ships, in places far from home where danger was always close.
You missed first steps, graduations, and the everyday moments that make up a life.
Some of you came home to parades. Others came home to silence.
Some came home whole. Others came home in pieces… body, mind, or spirit.
But all of you came home having given more than anyone should ever have to give.
And here’s what breaks my heart and fills it all at once…
you did it for people you’ve never met.
You stood between us and harm.
You gave up your peace so we could keep ours.
You carried the weight of freedom on your shoulders so the rest of us could walk a little lighter.
To the veterans who are still fighting battles no one can see… we see you.
Your struggle matters. Your pain is real. And you are not alone.
To those who never made it home… we will never forget you.
Your sacrifice lives on in every generation that grows up free.
And to every veteran reading this…
You may have taken off the uniform, but you will always be a hero.
Not because of what you wore, but because of what you were willing to give.
“Thank you” doesn’t feel like enough… but it’s what I have, and I mean it with my whole heart.
Thank you for your courage. For your sacrifice. For standing in the gap.
For being willing to give everything.
We are free because you were brave.
And we will never, ever forget that.
🌱
