What is the Price of Freedom?

[Metalcloak]

Friends,

This morning, as the sun rises across our nation, casting its light on fields, towns, and neighborhoods from coast to coast, we pause once again—not to celebrate, but to remember.

Memorial Day has never been just another holiday for me. As a Navy veteran, and more importantly, as an American who loves this country deeply, this day cuts to the core of what it means to serve, to sacrifice, and to remember.

It’s easy in today’s fast-paced world—especially with headlines shouting for attention—to lose sight of what this day is truly about. It’s not about the long weekend. It’s not about the sales. It’s not even about those of us who wore the uniform and made it home... that day is called Veterans Day.

Today is for them:
For those who never came home.
For those who gave everything.
For the families who carry a flag instead of a father.
For the empty chairs at the table.
For the names etched on memorials… and hearts.

Freedom, real freedom—the kind we too often take for granted—comes at a cost. And for many, that cost was everything they had to give.

We owe them more than a passing moment of silence. We owe them our respect. Our gratitude. And most of all, our promise—to live lives worthy of their sacrifice.

There's a poem I like to share every year that captures this spirit better than I ever could:

In Fields of Valor
In fields where courage once did bloom,
Lie those who faced the darkest gloom.
With hearts so bold and spirits high,
They marched ahead, prepared to die.

For freedoms that we cherish dear,
They stood and fought, despite the fear.
Their sacrifice, a solemn vow,
Is etched in time, remembered now.

We honor them, the brave, the few,
Who gave their lives for me and you.
In whispered winds, their voices call,
"Remember us, who gave it all."

Let not their memory fade away,
On this, our sacred, solemn day.
For in their honor, we must strive,
To keep their legacy alive.
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So today, take a moment. Not just to remember, but to recommit—to the ideals they died defending. To freedom. To the Constitution. To vigilance.

Let their sacrifice not be in vain.

May God bless you and your families. And may He bless the memory of the fallen—today and always.

PO1 Matson Breakey, USN

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