In 1967, the mother of an American soldier visits the grave of her son in Manila. He was KIA in the Philippines during WWII. 🇺🇸
22 years after the fighting ended in the Philippines, this mother made the long flight across the Pacific from the United States.
Her son had been one of the thousands of young Americans killed during the brutal fighting to liberate the islands from Japanese occupation, part of the fierce campaigns of 1944 & early 1945 that included the Battle of Manila, where entire neighborhoods were destroyed & casualties mounted on both sides.
She came alone to the Manila American Cemetery, the largest American military cemetery outside the US, where more than 17k of her son’s comrades rest beneath white marble crosses.
Kneeling at his grave, she reached out as if to touch him one last time, flowers at her feet & a lifetime of loss in her posture.
In an era when international travel was still a major undertaking for many families, she crossed an ocean not for sightseeing or vacation, but to be near the son she had raised & lost.
This quiet moment, captured in 1967, speaks for countless Gold Star mothers who carried their grief across decades & oceans.
Last year, we raised 5,000 dollars for Army Emergency Relief, (@aerhq) the Army’s official nonprofit that takes care of Soldiers and their families when they need it most.
This year I’m partnering with AER again, with the goal of beating that number. Who’s in?
Link to come.
SpaceX's @Starlink, Tractor Supply Company (the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the US); and 4-H, America’s largest youth development organization, announced today an alliance to expand broadband access in rural communities.
• Starlink will provide 100 Starlink kits and service to designated 4-H clubs serving rural youth, generating opportunities for students to participate in STEM, educational and workforce development programs.
• For eligible Starlink kits purchased through Tractor Supply stores and https://t.co/kVoPep0Fke, Starlink will donate the value of the customer’s first month of subscription service directly to National 4-H Council, generating sustainable funding for local 4-H programs.
• Tractor Supply will donate $500,000 to National 4-H Council to kick off the initiative.
If we get knocked down in combat, we get patched up and get back in the fight. At home, we must do the same for our invisible wounds.
I know it’s hard. It was hard for me.
This PTSD Awareness Day, let's break the stigma. If you need help, seek it. If your buddy is hurting, help them. Call 988 or Text 838255.
If you know me, you understand why Father’s Day hits on a few different levels. Whether it was in training or in combat, from the inception of this country up through today, people have sworn an oath, stepped up, and sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom. On Father’s Day in particular, I remember those friends who didn’t make it back and whose kids are growing up wondering what life would have been like with a dad to throw the football with them, take them fishing, tuck them into bed at night, or walk them down the aisle. There are children across this nation having a different kind of day today, one of remembrance and reflection. Take a moment to think about them and hug your kids a little tighter knowing all of us are here today because of those who gave up their futures for ours.
Thank you to @navysealfoundation for all you do for the families of those who didn’t make it home.
Strength and Honor