Have you ever stood in Kandahar  Afghanistan with the dusty earth beneath your feet as you stand guard in a country that only a decade ago hosted a terrorist attack on your home country? That is the story of two brave young men who are just  two people out of the many devoted Americans who have  risked their lives without credit. While some of them made it home others like those two men were left with honor.  So, this Memorial Day  we will honor, grieve, and remember all those soldiers that weren’t so lucky as to see the rising sun again.  Memorial Day is a day to look past the parades and parties, and celebrate the wonderful lives we have because thousands of soldiers gave theirs for ours.  Today is Memorial Day! Today is the day to say thank you to the fallen soldiers, because the moment they perished they didn’t just secure their legacy they secured a tomorrow for thousands of people. Every citizen of our nation is thankful for the never ending bravery. For they paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  As Ronald Reagan once said “We owe you a debt we can never repay,”

May 5th 1866,   Waterloo, New York.

On this day something beautiful happened that had never happened before. Businesses were closed, and the people were decorating graves upon graves with flowers and flags of the newly freed country of America. The people were celebrating the lives of the soldiers who so honorably perished for our freedom. Though this is debatable this was the first ever “decoration day” or as it would later be known “Memorial day,” Little did the people of Waterloo know that the holiday that they started, would be a famous tradition hundreds of years later. After a famous war poem was written called “In Flanders Fields”, the poem had influenced the idea of dressing the graves with red poppies. Which stays tradition now as the red poppy is now a sign of Memorial Day.

July 29 2019, on this day two soldiers Pfc.Brandon Jay Kreischer and Spc. Michael Isaiah Nance died while supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. On this day two men showed two inspiring traits; selflessness and courage, two traits we would all benefit to have. Both of the men perished in Afghanistan in their twenties giving up the lives they could have led to avenge America from the terrorist attack of September 11th. This Memorial Day we will decorate the graves of these two men and celebrate the gruesome battles they fought to secure our safety. Both soldiers were awarded and decorated with the Purple Heart the bronze star medal, the army service ribbon, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Basic Parachutist Badge. In response to the deaths Col.Arthur Seller said “These young men were true All Americans and embodied the qualities of selfless service and courage as they answered our nation's call to deploy to Afghanistan,”

So what does it mean to me, Memorial Day ? It means I will wake up to see the glistening sunrise without the fear of death. It means I won’t suddenly have to leave my home as the Ukrainians have had to. It means I will forget about everything I have done this week because none of it matters not the parade, the candy, the school, the pool or the hard work I’ve had to endure to put all my thoughts and emotions into this essay, and remember that every piece of candy every smile was paid for. So this Memorial Day I’ll tell myself it’s okay to cry, to remember those that I may have never met but I still thoroughly love. On this Memorial Day though I can’t single handedly decorate each grave this Memorial Day I will decorate each soldier's honor with hope and gratefulness.

On this fine Memorial Day I will not just sing the national anthem or say the pledge of allegiance, I will honor every single person that died for me and my freedom. I will watch this beautiful red white and blue flag as it waves to me and I will stand tall with my head high and I will be the proud  American you gave your life for.

To every fallen soldier I say this with prosper…

Rest In Peace