A Memorial Day message from the CEO, Emissary Way

Their sacrifice secured freedoms they would never fully return to enjoy. Today, we honor the courage, service, and legacy of those who gave everything for others.

This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Today, my joy is rooted in gratitude to those who gave all in military service. I am here because God spared my life.

As a 22-year military veteran and Founder of Emissary Way, I pay tribute to all service members who lost their lives and those who continue to give of themselves at all costs.

Service members did not just give their lives in battle; they gave their lives every day when they were separated from their families for remote assignments, deployments, and extended tours. They sacrificed their lives in stressful training programs, endless workdays, and early morning physical fitness regimens. They sacrificed special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, holidays, and memorials for their families and friends for the call to duty.

I remember traveling foreign roads in convoys and how easily things could have gone differently for me. Others traveled those same paths and did not make it.  Some made it home, but they lost so much they were never the same.

I live with the memory of fallen warriors being placed on angel flights back to the United States.  I stood at attention, saluting as metal caskets draped with American flags were carried by. These were Americans and they had families too.  They were someone’s mother or father, daughter or son, sister or brother, friend or coworker.

They are true American patriots.

It could have been me, my body in a casket being shipped home to my family.  In that moment, with caskets passing in front of me, I struggled to hold back emotions.  I prayed, “God give me the strength to honor my comrades in their final flight.”

They were selfless. They chose service and sacrifice. They did not begrudge their calling. I will not forget them.

So, I appreciate the second chances I received with a deep respect and honor for those who did not get the same chance.

For the recently fallen airmen, soldiers, sailors, and marines…you are remembered too.

I pray their sacrifices are never taken in vain by others who cannot understand the pain, the high price of our American “freedom.”  May God fill our hearts with peace and give their families comfort as they reflect on the memories of their loved ones.

I salute all of those who sacrificed their lives and the family members who stood beside them through all the separations, temporary and permanent.

We remember, we honor you today!

Thank you for your sacrifice.

Freedom has always carried a cost.

It was preserved through courage, sacrifice, and the willingness of others to lay down their lives for something greater than themselves.

Remembrance honors not only their service, but the responsibility we carry because of it.

Take a moment to reflect:

How are you using the freedoms others sacrificed to protect?

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Identity first. Integrity always. Lead intentionally.