By: Senator Robby Mills
Each year, as May draws to a close, Americans pause on Memorial Day to reflect on the deep cost of freedom. More than a day off work or the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day is a sacred time to honor the men and women who laid down their lives in military service to our country. It is a moment to remember not only their sacrifice, but the enduring bonds of family, community, and patriotism that live on in their absence.
While the origins of Memorial Day trace back to the years following the Civil War, the commemoration is shaped just as much by the stories of those who carry on: the parents who place flags on a grave each year, the children who grow up hearing tales of a brave relative they never met, and the neighbors who gather at local memorials to remember those who never came home. These quiet acts of remembrance speak volumes.
Kentucky is home to countless such stories. From the hills of Appalachia to the river towns along the Ohio, communities have long sent their sons and daughters to serve. In towns large and small, Kentuckians find ways to ensure that these names, and the lives behind them, are never forgotten.
Beyond its well-known military bases like Fort Knox and Fort Campbell, Kentucky is also home to historic training grounds such as Camp Zachary Taylor in Louisville. Established during World War I, it trained thousands of troops and served as a launch point for American forces heading to Europe. Few today remember the sacrifices of that era, but Memorial Day is an opportunity to recall them once again.
Memorial Day also invites us to reflect on the unique burdens borne by military families. When a service member is lost, their loved ones carry the weight of that absence for a lifetime. Gold Star families, those who have lost a loved one in service, remind us that sacrifice is not just made on battlefields, but endures at kitchen tables, empty chairs, and on birthdays marked by memory instead of presence.
On this Memorial Day, we owe more than gratitude. We owe a personal commitment to teach our children the meaning of service, to stand with the families of the fallen, to remember that freedom is never free, and that its cost is measured in lives given for a country they loved.
Let us honor their memory not only with words, but with actions. By caring for veterans, supporting military families, and working to preserve the liberties they died defending, we ensure that their legacy endures, not just for one day in May, but every day of the year.
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Sen. Robby Mills, R-Henderson, represents the 4th Senate District, including Henderson, Hopkins, Union, and Webster Counties. Mills serves as Senate majority caucus chair. As a Senate majority leadership member, he serves on the Legislative Research Commission, the Committee on Committees, and the Rules Committee. He is a member of the Senate State and Local Government Committee. He is also a member of the Senate Committees on Families and Children; Natural Resources and Energy; and Health Services. Additionally, he is a member of the Public Pension Oversight Board and the Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government.
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