Freedom Is Never Free

A Memorial Day message on sacrifice, 250 years of liberty, and the greater love that made it all possible.

Today, I had the honor of speaking at Rock Creek Cemetery in Hansen, Idaho for Memorial Day.

It was a beautiful day, one set apart to remember those who gave everything so that we might live free.

As I shared with those gathered, Memorial Day is not just about looking back. It is about recognizing what has been entrusted to us and asking what we will do with it.

Below is the message I delivered.

---

“What a beautiful day, here at the Rock Creek Cemetary. I want to open with sharing three quotes from out Founding Fathers.”

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” — Thomas Paine

“I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us… Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory.” — John Adams

“Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.” — Thomas Jefferson

Today, we gather in remembrance.
But also in gratitude… and in quiet resolve.

Because the men who founded this nation understood something we must never forget: freedom is a blessing, but it is never free. It must be earned, defended, and, at times, paid for in full.

Nearly 250 years ago, they spoke of sacrifice not as poetry, but as reality. They pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, knowing the cost would be high.

And it was.

Since that first generation, countless Americans have stepped forward to carry that same burden, ordinary men and women called to do extraordinary things. They left behind homes, families, and futures… and many never returned.

This day belongs to them.

It belongs to the fallen whose names are etched in stone, and to those known only to God. It belongs to quiet courage, unseen sacrifice, and the final full measure given so that others might live in freedom.

And if we allow it, this day does more than remember the past, it speaks to us.

It humbles us.
It steadies us.
It reminds us that the freedoms we enjoy today were not cheaply won—and they are not permanently secured.

We are the beneficiaries of courage we did not have to show… sacrifices we did not have to make… burdens we did not have to carry.

And that should shape us.

Not with guilt—but with purpose.
Not with fear—but with clarity.

Because Memorial Day asks each of us a simple but serious question: what will we do with what we have been given?

We may not be called to the same battlefields.

But we are called to the same responsibility.

To be thoughtful in how we live.
To be bold in what we stand for.
And to be courageous when it would be easier to remain silent.

The generation that secured this nation saw, as John Adams said, rays of light beyond the cost. They believed in something greater than themselves.

And those we honor today proved that belief again and again, through action, through sacrifice, and through unwavering commitment to something enduring.

As we celebrate 250 years as a nation, we are reminded that each generation must decide: will we simply inherit freedom… or will we preserve it?

Not with anger.
Not with fear.
But with steady courage.

The kind that builds.
The kind that protects.
The kind that honors what has been entrusted to us.

And as I stand before you today, I do so with a full heart, because this will be my final Memorial Day address as your sitting State Senator.

It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve you. To stand for this community, to speak on your behalf, and to do so with love for this state and respect for the responsibility entrusted to me.

For that, I am deeply grateful.

And I will continue to serve—with that same heart—in my personal capacity.

But above all, I am grateful for those who made any of this possible.

Because without them, there is no freedom to defend… no voice to raise… no republic to preserve.

So today, may we do more than remember.

May we live in a way that honors.
May we carry forward what is good, what is true, and what is worth preserving.

And as we honor those who gave their lives for our freedom, we must not overlook the Foundation of all sacrifice.

Because the ultimate act of sacrifice was not first demonstrated on a battlefield, it was demonstrated on a Cross.

As Scripture declares, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13

Jesus Christ did not just speak those words, He fulfilled them.

He willingly laid down His life, bearing sin and death, so that we could be set free, truly free, redeemed and restored.

The heroes we honor today gave their lives to preserve our liberty in this nation.

But Jesus gave His life to secure our eternal freedom.

And it is from that sacrifice that all true courage, all true love, and all true freedom ultimately flow.

So as we remember the fallen, let us also fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author of that love, the Source of that sacrifice, and the Foundation of our hope.

May we live not only as grateful citizens…
But as people who understand the depth of what has been given, for our country, and for our souls.

May we never forget.

And may God bless the memory of the fallen, comfort those who mourn, and may His grace continue to guide and bless Idaho and the United States of America.

---

A few more images of the day.

We even had a mama duck and her ducklings join us.