Memorial Day 2026: Honor the Fallen. Protect Our Freedom.

Today we pause as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, not as newcomers or old-timers but simply as people blessed to live in a nation built on sacrifice.

Memorial Day is to remember the debt that we owe.

A debt we can never repay to the men and women who laid down their lives so we could raise our families, chase our dreams, speak freely, worship freely, and live without fear.

One of the greatest freedoms they protected is the right to vote. The right of the people to choose their future.

That right is sacred. That right is American. And that right is ours to exercise.

As we remember the fallen, we also look toward the choices before us. California is at a crossroads. The primary election is here and the direction of our state will be shaped by the people who show up. If we want a California that honors fairness, accountability, and the voices of everyday citizens, then we must participate.

We vote not out of habit, but out of gratitude because millions never came home to enjoy the freedoms they fought for.

So today, as we lay flags, bow our heads, and thank God for the heroes who never returned, let us also commit to protecting the democracy they died to preserve.

Honor them by caring about the future of this state.

Honor them by refusing to take freedom for granted and by protecting the freedoms they fought for. And by teaching the next generation that liberty is not inherited, it is earned, guarded, and passed on with reverence.

Honor them by voting.

May God bless the families who carry the weight of loss.

May God bless the fallen.

And may God continue to bless the United States of America.