Every Memorial Day, members of our local Rotary Club line Orange Avenue with hundreds of American flags. The display transforms the heart of town into a corridor of remembrance and gratitude. For residents and visitors alike, those flags are reminders that behind every military sacrifice is a human story.
Memorial Day has always carried deep meaning for me, but with each passing year, I feel its weight more profoundly. As Editor-in-Chief of Paraplegia News (PN) and Sports N Spokes (SNS), both published by Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and as a veteran living with paralysis, I have come to understand that remembrance is not an abstract idea. It is deeply personal. It lives in the faces, stories and sacrifices of the men and women who served beside us and never returned home.
I live in Coronado, a military town where generations of service members have lived, trained, deployed and returned home for more than a century. To many visitors, Coronado is a beautiful beach community known for vacations, bike rides, waterfront restaurants and sunsets. But few truly understand the people who make up this town. Many quietly walking its sidewalks or sitting in local cafés have sacrificed greatly for this country. Some returned home carrying lifelong physical or emotional wounds. Others carry the grief of losing loved ones to war.
Here, military service is woven into everyday life. The sight of uniforms in grocery stores and restaurants, the sound of aircraft overhead and the humble resilience of military families are constant reminders that freedom has always required sacrifice. Throughout the community stand monuments honoring those who served and those who gave their lives defending this nation. Equally important are the families remembered in silence — the husbands, wives, parents and children who waited and hoped their loved ones would return home safely.
As a paralyzed veteran, I spend a great deal of time at the local VA, where I am continually reminded of the sacrifices some Americans willingly endure to protect this country’s values. I sacrificed a great deal myself, including the spinal cord injury I sustained while serving in the Navy. Yet I also consider myself fortunate. I survived. Many who answered the call to serve never had the opportunity to come home.
For many Americans, Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer. But for veterans, especially those of us living with life-changing injuries, the day carries a deeper responsibility. We remember the true cost of freedom because we have witnessed it firsthand. Memorial Day reminds us that freedom has never been free.