Home Front: Those who answered the call

To the families of the fallen: we see you, we honor you, and we carry your loved ones’ legacy forward. To our veterans and service members: thank you for continuing the tradition of the citizen-soldier. And to those we have lost: your service, your sacrifice and your memory will forever be part of the story of this nation and of this state. May we live in a way that honors them. And may we continue to uphold the values they fought to protect.

Vollrath’s words captured the essence of veteran sacrifice so well that we’ve chosen to kick off this new segment in the Hub City Times in her words.

Following weeks will feature the stories of local veterans, many provided through interviews compiled by staff and students at Auburndale High School.

We look forward to sharing these stories with you over the upcoming months.

This year carries special meaning. As the United States marks 250 years since its founding, we find ourselves reflecting not only on the passage of time, but on the extraordinary sacrifices that have shaped our history. From the earliest citizen-soldiers who stood on village greens in 1776 to the modern warriors who deploy from our armories here in Wisconsin, the story of America has always been written by those willing to serve something greater than themselves.

For the Wisconsin National Guard, that legacy is deeply personal. For 250 years, the National Guard has embodied the original American ideal of the citizen-soldier; ordinary people answering extraordinary calls. Our state’s Guard members have stepped forward in every major conflict, from the Civil War to World War I and World War II, from Korea and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan, and have answered the call to missions and partnerships around the globe. And just as importantly, they have served here at home, responding to floods, tornadoes, blizzards, wildfires, civil and health emergencies and moments when our neighbors needed us most.

But today it is not about uniforms or missions. It is about the people behind them. It is about the soldiers and airmen, the Marines, sailors, and Coast Guardsmen who never returned home. It is about families who carry their memories every day. It is about the empty seat at the table, the folded flag, the stories told and retold so that a loved one’s voice is never lost to time or to service.

When we speak of sacrifice, we often think of the moment of loss. But sacrifice is also lived. Quietly, daily. By Gold Star families, by parents who raised heroes, by spouses who held families together during deployments and by children who grew up with a photograph instead of a hand to hold. Their courage is woven into the fabric of our nation just as surely as the service of those we honor.

As members of the Wisconsin National Guard, we carry a special responsibility. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. Those who wore our patch, trained in our armories and deployed from our flight lines. Their legacy is not abstract. It is real. It is local. And it is ours.

We see this legacy in the names etched on memorials in small towns across Wisconsin. We see it in the stories passed down in units like the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, the 64th Troop Command Brigade, the 115th Fighter Wing, the 128th Air Refueling Wing and countless others whose histories are written both in service and in sacrifice. We see it in the soldiers and airmen and service members who deployed from this very state and never came home.

As our nation celebrates its 250th birthday, we are reminded that America’s strength has never come from its size, its wealth or its power, it has come from its people. From those who believed that freedom was worth defending, even at the cost of their own lives.

The fallen we honor today did not serve for recognition or reward. They served because they believed in the promise of this country and in the people who call it home.

Our duty, the duty of every American, is to ensure that their sacrifice is never forgotten. We honor them not only with ceremonies like this one, but with the way we live our lives. With our commitment to service. With our dedication to community. With our willingness to stand up for one another, just as they stood up for us.

Let us remember that Memorial Day is not simply a day off. It is a sacred obligation. It is a moment to reflect on the cost of freedom and the courage of those who paid it. It is a reminder that the liberties we enjoy were secured by individuals who believed that America, at 250 years and counting, is still worth defending.