05/26/2025
I always hesitate to say “Happy Memorial Day” because the losses we remember today aren’t happy for so many. Today is more about respect, remembering, and being grateful. It’s a chance to honor those who have fought and died to give us so many things that we should celebrate. This story pops into my mind often, but especially today.
A few years ago, before Oscar and Arthur were born, we took Walter out for the day with my parents. We stopped at a Cabela’s mostly to see the giant fish tank and partly because my dad can’t pass up a chance to go to Cabela’s.
As we were walking around we found ourselves in the fishing section “just looking.” The sales team member in the area came over and said hello and almost immediately commented on my dad’s hat- a baseball cap with the Air Force seal on it.
This gentleman had also served in the Air Force, during the same time that my dad did. They talked for a while about the positions they’d held, the places they’d been, and some of the things they’d seen and experienced during their service. There was an instant, genuine connection that can only come from not just understanding exactly what the other person is saying, but also understanding everything that they’re not saying.
As their conversation came to an end, these two men managed to convey more sincere emotion with a handshake and five words than some can convey in hundreds of pages. It’s a simple phrase, but one that encompasses so many things.
It would be amazing to say this to everyone who has served, something for all families to get the chance to say. Depending on what you believe happens to those who make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, maybe we can say it to everyone.
“Welcome home, brother.”
“Welcome home.”
