Honoring our fallen heroes

As Americans, we are incredibly fortunate to live in the freest nation in the world. But America wouldn't be the nation it is today without the countless sacrifices of our military men and women. President Ronald Reagan once said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

On Memorial Day, our nation comes together to honor the lives of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Tragically, southeast Missouri lost two of our own this year: Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zachary Esparza of Jackson and Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Radford Smith of St. James. They are both heroes for their service and sacrifice, and my heart goes out to their friends and loved ones who are still grieving their loss.

Southeast Missouri is incredibly patriotic. We proudly support our veterans and honor those who lost their lives serving our nation. A great example of this is the Missouri National Veterans Memorial in Perryville, a full-sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The idea to build this memorial came from Jim Eddleman, one of Missouri's National Veterans Memorial's founding members and a Vietnam War veteran. As he was transporting wounded service members in the middle of intense fighting during the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War, he promised himself that one day he would find a way to honor his fallen brothers in arms. I'm so grateful for Mr. Eddleman's tireless efforts to keep the promise he made to those who gave it all. I encourage every Missourian to visit Missouri's National Veterans Memorial. It's an incredibly powerful experience, and one you'll remember for the rest of your life.

Many of us will never forget the images of the thousands of people who packed the sidewalks and highway overpasses along the 31-mile-long funeral procession route for Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz. Schmitz was a Missouri native and among the 13 service members killed in the botched Afghanistan withdrawal, one of the worst military tragedies in my lifetime. We owe it to the families of these fallen heroes to get to the bottom of what went wrong and what could have been done to prevent the loss of life that day. House Republicans will continue pushing the Biden administration to get answers to the many questions their families and Americans have about why our withdrawal from Afghanistan ended in tragedy.

From the American Revolution to the Global War on Terrorism, Americans from every generation have fought and died to protect the values and freedoms that we hold dear. I hope you'll join me in praying for our fallen heroes, their families, and their loved ones. America is the greatest and freest nation in the world thanks to heroes like Zachary Esparza, Rusten Smith, and Jared Schmitz. We are better off for all their service and sacrifice.

Jason Smith (R-MO) represents the eighth congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.