What does the Fourth of July mean to you?

This year, our nation celebrates 250 years of independence. To me, that’s something worth honoring. I love this country. I’m unapologetically patriotic. After serving 20 years in the military, I can honestly say I was proud to wear the uniform and serve the greatest nation on earth.

But last year, the night of July 3rd, something happened that changed my perspective forever.

Our community was hit by torrential rains. The river rose to an unimaginable 32 feet. Unless you’ve seen a wall of water like that tearing through a river basin, it’s impossible to describe the destruction it leaves behind.

That night, 119 people lost their lives.

For many months afterward, volunteers came from all over the United States. They gave up their time, left their families, and came here with one purpose: to help. We walked muddy riverbanks from sunrise to sunset. We were exhausted, hungry, soaked, and covered in mud, but none of that mattered. Our only mission was to reunite those who had been swept away with the families who desperately wanted to bring them home.

We recovered body after body from tangled debris, deep mud, and shattered trees.

I’ve served in the military, and I can tell you this was different.

This wasn’t a battlefield in some distant land.

This was home.

These were our neighbors. Our friends. Our loved ones. Families who had simply gathered to celebrate the Fourth of July together, never imagining it would be their last day.

This Independence Day, let’s honor the brave men and women who gave everything to defend the freedoms we enjoy. But let’s also remember those whose lives were taken far too soon in our own communities.

Life is precious.

It can change in an instant.

Hold your family a little closer. Tell the people you love that you love them. Celebrate our freedom with gratitude, but never take tomorrow for granted.

God bless those we’ve lost, God bless the volunteers who answered the call, and God bless the United States of America.