To honor our hero's

Real life superheros exist; they walk among us every day, ready to defend
our great nation and its citizens in a moment's notice. They are husbands/wife's,
fathers/mothers, brothers/sisters and sons/daughters capable of staring death in the face, and still
come home to rock their newborn infant to sleep the same day.

This kind of warrior cannot be manufactured or purchased. They are born
into this life, blessed with a higher sense of purpose, and the understanding
of exactly what their fate may hold. We chose to share this life with them,
because we would rather love an extraordinary man/woman for a brief moment,
than spend a lifetime with a man/woman far more ordinary.

You can never be prepared for certain events in life, they change you,
and their consequences turn your world upside down. Meeting your husbands/wife's
casket as he/she makes his final journey home. The prospect of raising your
children alone. Living the rest of your days without the one person that loved
you unconditionally and never let you down. In truth, these men/women never let
anyone down, which is why they are no longer here today.

These amazing warriors chose to spend their brief but amazing lives with us.
We raise their children. We honor and remember them, we live in the present,
and we look to the future. They know we would have the strength to carry on in
the face of tragedy, and to become stronger, more amazing versions of
ourselves. They know we would never be defined by their passing, but inspired by
their memory to live more fully and to make each moment we are given count.