As we start Memorial Day weekend, we are surrounded by reminders to honor those who gave their lives in service to our country. At Wreaths Across America, these reminders are not seasonal—they are part of our daily mission to Remember, Honor and Teach. We live this commitment every day through the stories shared by Gold Star Families and the work we do to ensure their loved ones are never forgotten.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of hearing the stories of sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters who served. Each one is a powerful testament to a life lived in service. When I hear the phrase “Freedom isn’t free,” I think of their names, their faces, and the deep love and pain carried by those left behind. 

Spending time with the one percent of American families who have made these sacrifices makes one thing abundantly clear: freedom comes with responsibility. The ultimate sacrifice made by these heroes calls us (the other 99 percent) to step up and care for the legacy they’ve left us.

Since the founding of this nation, brave men and women have laid down their lives to protect the values we hold dear. Their commitment demands our ongoing vigilance, not just in remembrance, but in action.

I believe that honoring their sacrifice means accepting the role of caretaker for the freedom they secured. It’s our responsibility to ensure future generations understand the cost of that freedom, and their duty to preserve it. 

Let this Memorial Day be more than a moment of silence. Let it be a call to action, as echoed in the final verse of “In Flanders Fields”:

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Remember. Honor. Teach.

Karen Worcester