Reflection on Celebrating People in Service

What can I really say about people in service? Let’s start with veterans. We often hear about their bravery and sacrifice, but rarely do we talk about the preparation — the strenuous, rigorous training that forges them into something unshakable, something resilient, just in case war calls their name. We don’t talk enough about what it means to leave your loved ones behind, knowing that their lives will keep moving forward while you are gone. We don’t often hear about leaving as part of a fortified brotherhood, only to return with pieces missing — sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally. We rarely sit with the weight of the world that comes from leaving a soldier behind… or the guilt and complexity of surviving when others did not. Then comes the transition — from active service to civilian life — a shift that’s rarely seamless. You are asked to live in a world that has no idea what you’ve carried, no idea of the split-second decisions, the invisible wounds, the weight o...