It’s been eighty years since the US faced a direct, significant threat to its own survival. However, the US has taken on the burden of trying to not only keep the peace but to promote it worldwide. Our servicemen and women have worked on our behalf all over the world. These weren’t always wars and the wars they fought weren’t protecting American soil – directly – but all of it made America and the world safer.

The mistakes were ours – that’s the thing about being a democratic republic, the responsibility for our government’s muck ups is ultimately ours. Those who served us honorably did their best to make the world a better place and the American people safer as a result. Because they served, we don’t ever worry about another nation invading our land and taking our homes and our hope. Because they served – and continue to serve – we remain the most powerful nation-state in human history.

We started as a podunk nowhere backwater. Sassy as heck, dumb enough to think we could take on the world’s most powerful nation and win, we had more pluck than sense. And a very large ocean between us and the largest empire in human history. Anyone thinking we were somehow great then is wrong – what we were was blessed and danged lucky to be on the other side of an ocean.

And after an eight year war won mostly on attrition and a few good battles, stupid enough to try it again in 1812 when we got our little heads handed to us. It was the last time foreign troops ever set foot in anger in Washington DC – we even built the capitol building back. Still, not an auspicious beginning.

And yet, they served. Men and yes, even some women, with muskets and zero common sense, took to the battlefields as a ragtag bunch of hillbillies – and left as battle hardened soldiers. Not for personal fame and glory but to preserve the idea of a nation based on rule of law and governed by the people themselves. They did all the hard work to make the United States more than a few pieces of paper with pretty words but a territory defended so that its people could decide for themselves what they would do.

We fought just about everything that got near us – most especially each other. And yet, they continued to come forth and serve. To serve a country that was sometimes more idealized dream than reality but that strove for that reality. They kept this budding, nascent and often dumb nation from being being destroyed by more powerful nations and even itself.

They served when the nation was forming. They served when the world when insane and again less than twenty years later when all seemed completely lost. They served in theaters they didn’t always understand. They served on every continent on the planet. They served, fought and died for this great idea of what American could be – should be – would be.

They served when America herself turned against them, blaming those we had sent in our name for the fact that we had sent them. Yet still they served.

They served when the weapons were more presence than warfighting. They served anywhere and everywhere we asked them to – and still serve today. They serve in places we wouldn’t wish to go while we enjoy safety at home and debate why the heck we sent them. Yet still they serve.

An uncounted number, that we will never know for certain, but which we do know is around 650,000 in battle and nearly 12 million overall, have died serving us. Today we honor our fallen. These are the men and women who have served us since before the United States of America was a country. These are the heroes that have kept us free.

These are our beloved heroes. May God give rest to every last soul.

Thank you from the bottom of all of our hearts for your service.