Three-years ago this Memorial Day, I was deployed to the Joint Personal Effects Depot (JPED) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland along w/ over two hundred Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and DoD Civilian Contractors conducting a war-time mission first established on 9/11 at The Pentagon. JPED is ground zero and the solemn place where we received all the personal belongings of every American service member killed or wounded in Iraq & Afghanistan and meticulously received, inventoried and resent those memories back to the families of the fallen or service member stationed at Walter Reed, a military base or at home.
During Memorial Day 2003, my brother LCpl Victor Molina, a Marine, was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq. Like many, our hearts sunk when he deployed but were relieved when he returned safely home. Today, our country is engaged in two full-scale wars in Iraq & Afghanistan and while Iraq is winding down, our loved ones don’t deploy alone; we deploy w/ them. We remember them and cherish every moment we get to communicate w/ them. We honor those who gave of themselves so that their comrades and friends would return home to their families and communities.
Memorial Day brings special significance to our family, along w/ American military families across the country. Pause. Reflect.
Demonstrate in your own space word & deed of the special sacrifice made by Americans from every generation so that we can enjoy this day w/ our loved ones, families and friends.
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