Rep. John Lewis Salutes the Men and Women of the Military on Memorial Day

On Memorial Day, we honor those who sacrificed their lives so that we can enjoy our freedom. In honor of the holiday, 5th District Rep. Lewis issued this statement:

As this nation pauses to celebrate Memorial Day, we honor the brave and courageous individuals who serve in the United States military. They are the men and women in uniform, who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect and defend the freedoms this nation holds dear. We salute their families today as well–the mothers, fathers, daughters and brothers, husbands and wives–who often leave the shores of their own land and release their loved ones to face the greatest harm and danger.

We owe them all a tremendous debt of gratitude for all they suffer in our defense. And as we pay them tribute this day, we recognize that they are diverse and many and come from all kinds of varied backgrounds. They are black and white, male and female, Latino, Asian and Native American, immigrants and American-born, but they all have one quality in common: they answered the highest call of patriotic duty.

Let us also remind ourselves today of the core values of this nation, the ideas these men and women place their lives on the line to defend, and let us recommit ourselves to do all we can, in their honor, to live true to the principles of equal justice, individual liberty, and the dignity and the worth of all humankind.