Every year on the last Monday of May, we gather not in celebration but to remember.
Memorial Day is a day carved into our national conscience to honor the brave men and women of our armed forces who gave their lives in defense of our country in war and in the many conflicts and peacekeeping operations throughout the world on behalf of our country.
These are not just names etched into marble or granite faces of war memorials or flags planted in neat rows across quiet cemeteries. These names are sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors. Each one had hopes and dreams, families they loved. Futures they sacrificed—so that we might live in freedom.
For me, this day carries a deep personal weight. My brother’s name is etched on the Vietnam War Memorial that stands right there, at the State capitol and at the National Mall as a permanent tribute to the local heroes who never came back home.
That black granite holds more than names—it holds the stories, the dreams and the futures that were left unfinished. My brother was one of those stories. And though he’s no longer with us, his sacrifice—and the sacrifice of all those remembered today—continues to give us the freedom to live the lives we choose, and to make memories that Albert and the seemingly countless others never had a chance to make.
Their sacrifice gives us the gift of ordinary days.
Because of them, we are free to gather with loved ones. We are free to speak our minds, to worship as we choose, to build futures of our own design.
We are free to enjoy a quiet evening under a safe sky, laughter at gatherings with family and friends, cheers at ball games like I did on Saturday watching my granddaughter play on her Blackjacks team in Salinas.
All of these simple moments are possible because brave souls chose to stand between us and danger.
Today, we remember our fallen heroes—not for how they died, but for how they lived. And because of how they lived, we have the privilege to keep living, keep remembering and keep building the nation they believed in.
May we be forever grateful. And may we never forget.
Note: Photo is of the Vietnam Memorial taken in Washington DC with Joe Paul & Irma Gonzalez viewing the name of Joe Paul’s older brother, Albert Gonzalez.
Joe Paul Gonzalez
Hollister
