Two dates have carried deep meaning in my life—November 10, the birth of the United States Marine Corps, and November 11, once known as Armistice Day and now recognized as Veterans Day. As a veteran of both the Air Force and Marine Corps, those days are personal. But Memorial Day reaches even deeper—it is about those who never came home.
Military service runs through my family like a thread woven into every generation. From the American Revolution to modern conflicts, my ancestors served in nearly every major war. Some fought in New Jersey and Pennsylvania regiments during the American Revolution, others served in New Jersey regiments during the Civil War, others served and fought in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and beyond. We signed our names on a blank line, swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, and went wherever we were sent.
But Memorial Day is not about all who served—it is about those who paid the ultimate price.
For me, that sacrifice has a name: PFC William Wesley Davis, Jr., my uncle. At just 17 years old, he enlisted to fight in World War II. On February 1, 1944, during the assault on Roi-Namur in the Marshall Islands, he crawled toward a fortified enemy bunker that had Marines pinned down on the beach. With courage few can comprehend, he threw a satchel charge into the bunker, neutralizing the threat. The explosion took his life—but saved countless others.
I never met my uncle, but his actions have shaped how I view service, sacrifice, and freedom.
This Memorial Day, remember that freedom is not free. It was purchased by men and women like Wesley—ordinary people who did extraordinary things when it mattered most.
Honor them. Remember them. And never take their sacrifice for granted.
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