Today was a beautiful day.  School is out and summer is upon us.  The smell of BBQ is in the air while outdoor activities fill our days.  

This year we will celebrate AMERICA’s 250th anniversary.  While we plan for this celebration, it is important to reflect on our NATION’s history. Ours is a history that is filled will sacrifice.  

The attached picture is U.S.M.C. CORPORAL BRANDON HARDY.  CORPORAL HARDY made the ultimate sacrifice on April 28, 2006, in Anbar Province, Iraq.  Please pause for a moment to take a deep look at this picture.  This is what COMMITMENT to SACRIFICE looks like and this is what allows a NATION to endure.  

While you enjoy that hotdog or cheeseburger, pick up your glass of iced-T or that adult beverage and cheers Brandon, cheers your uncle who served in our armed forces, or maybe your cousin, or grandfather.  The point being is to recognize that freedom isn’t free and nearly 250 years of sacrifice has brought you to this moment, and to this post.

Cheers to Brandon, and thank you.