Last night, I made a simple request on X. I asked if anybody visiting Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day would stop by Alan’s grave and leave a photo for our family.
What happened next honestly caught me off guard.
By this afternoon, dozens of Americans from all walks of life had made the walk to Section 60 to visit SSG Alan W. Shaw. Veterans. Families. Complete strangers. People who had never met Alan, but chose to honor him anyway.
For one day on social media, people put aside the constant noise and negativity and came together for something bigger than themselves. My notifications filled with photos, kind messages, prayers, and stories from people honoring not just Alan, but so many of our fallen heroes.
I don’t think people fully understand what moments like this mean to Gold Star families. The fear is never just losing them. It’s losing them slowly over time as the world moves on and fewer people remember their name.
But today showed me that Alan will never be forgotten.
After years of watching social media reward some of the worst parts of humanity, today gave me a reminder that the good is still out there too.
Thank you to every single person who stopped by to visit Alan today, said his name, shared his story, or took a moment to honor the fallen.
This right here is the America Alan knew and loved enough to fight and die for.
And today, y’all showed us all that it’s still here and it’s still worth fighting for. 🇺🇸
@MrPitbull07 I lost my daughter, Kendall, to glioblastoma. She was diagnosed at 30. She once wrote, "This is not a fight. This is my life. So instead of fighting I'm going to keep on living and enjoying every adventure. And she did. https://t.co/tmV11ZJP75
Lori, I pray this makes an incredible difference for your husband & others. Today that a 22 yr old beneficiary of our foundation was told there is nothing more that can be done for her. Formerly labeled glioblastoma, she has DMG. If you have a lifeline to share, we'd be grateful 🙏
@PureBayern@MrPitbull07@jjllcc7070 No. Kendall was a five-year survivor of DMG, a type of brain cancer where only 1% see five-years. Yesterday was the anniversary of her death. I wrote, "In the story of Kendall's life, how she died is just an anecdote. The real story is how she lived." Heartbreaking but true. 💚