Memorial Day Published Article

This is an article I ghostwrote for public figure Scotty Smiley that was published on his website, Hope Unseen.

Remembrance. Solemnity. Two words to describe this day, a day originated to honor the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. Today, not only does Memorial Day honor all those who have fallen since then, but also in the wake of a tragic day on September 11, 2001.

There were many victims that horrible day. There were those who lost their lives, those who lost loved ones, those whose lives would change forever, and those who would never know the world to be anything but what it was post 9/11.

I am part of a generation of young soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan following the event of four airplanes being hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists, and the killing of thousands of innocent people.

Today, I have stood witness to the death of my own friends, classmates from West Point, officers, and others fighting for our freedom and safety after the attacks on 9/11. I was lucky enough to see a world before that, but so many have grown up since this event, not remembering a world without war.

I remember war distinctly, in fact, it’s the last thing I saw with my eyes - men and women, fighting for this wonderful country, and men and women with their lives lost in the hope that one day this country would be free from all distress. God spared my life, but I lost my eyesight to this battle.

So many of us have lived before the age of terrorism, and so many of us have grown up in a world where terrorism is a reality that is never too far from home.

When thinking about September 11, 2001 and Memorial Day this year, I feel certain that we will never stop searching for an understanding of what took place that day, and I hope that we will have faith in God and optimism for what the future holds, in spite of the fact that so many of our lives are somehow defined by what happened on a clear sunny morning 17 years ago.

For all those who have fallen in the fight for freedom and for this country, we honor you today. For all those who continue to fight and put your lives on the line every minute of the day, we commend you and we pray for you. God bless.