Living a life worthy of their sacrifice.

Join us in taking a moment to remember those who gave everything.

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May 25, 2026 9:45am EDT

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Living a life worthy of their sacrifice.

Earlier this month, I gathered with some former colleagues and found ourselves reminiscing about our training days, trying to put into words how our service, and the people we served beside, marked us in ways we still don’t fully understand.

Those memories can feel far away now, buried beneath the routines of daily life and the comfort of home. And yet, it’s remarkable how quickly a few familiar faces can transport you back to a different season of life, one that felt simpler in some ways, where purpose was clear and we felt most alive in the face of uncertainty and danger.

On May 15, a new star was added to the CIA Memorial Wall, bringing the total to 141 fallen officers. Among them is Johnny Micheal Spann, commemorated by the 79th star — the CIA’s and America’s first battlefield casualty after 9/11.

The evening before that ceremony, Jason and I joined Michael “Rod” Rodriguez and local DC ruckers for a ruck to the future site of the Global War on Terror Memorial. It was a quiet reminder that none of us walk away unchanged from the sacrifices made in service to this country. We carry those lives with us in gratitude and in the responsibility to remember.

Last year, Jason and I brought our kids to volunteer with the Travis Manion Foundation’s Honor Project at Jacksonville National Cemetery. Together, we placed flags and name placards at the gravesites of fallen veterans. The experience left such a lasting impression on our family that we knew it had to become an annual tradition. We’ll be back again this Memorial Day.