There is a certain kind of pride that lives in the bones of families like mine. The kind shaped by fathers, cousins, and uncles who put on a uniform not for glory, not for applause, but because duty meant something. Because service meant something. Because the idea of America was worth protecting, even when America did not always protect them in return.
I grew up listening to the stories of my uncles and cousins who served this country in the military, only to return home to the worst kinds of discrimination because they were Black American men in a nation still struggling to reconcile its ideals with its reality. They wore the uniform with pride, risked everything in foreign lands, and then stepped back onto American soil to face barriers, insults, and doors slammed in their faces. And yet, they never carried bitterness. They carried themselves with a quiet dignity, the kind that comes from knowing you stood watch so others could sleep safely.
That legacy of courage without recognition, of service without guaranteed respect is why, today, it is heartbreaking to see how far we have drifted from honoring those who truly embody sacrifice and integrity.
Look at General Mark Kelly and his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Gifford, two people who gave this country everything. Gabby nearly lost her life to political violence. Her husband served more than 40 years in uniform and kept serving long after the uniform came off. They have lived their lives with honor, courage, and truth.
And yet, in the America we are now navigating, truth itself has become a punishable offense, not for those who break the law, but for those who dare to speak honestly about it.
General Kelly cannot be punished for telling the truth. He should not be attacked for standing on the foundation he helped defend with his life. We should be listening to him. We should be learning from him. We should be showing the same respect that men like him and the men in my own family have earned through decades of service.
Instead, too many in power twist the law, bend it, ignore it, or treat it like a toy to be tossed around depending on the political weather. And meanwhile, the people who actually upheld the law, our servicemen and women, our public servants, and our veterans are left searching for answers in a system that seems to no longer value their sacrifice.
I say enough.
Honor the truth-tellers. Honor the protectors. Honor the families like mine—families like yours—who understand what it means to serve this nation faithfully.
And above all, remember this:
Patriotism isn’t proven by shouting the loudest. It’s proven by standing up for what is right, even when it is inconvenient.
General Kelly did that. My family did that. Countless others did that.
And we owe them not just gratitude but respect, protection, and the dignity of truth.
