A Memorial Day Tribute to Joe

I went to high school with a kid named Joe.

He was two years older. Tough, positive, friendly.

We crossed paths on the football field a couple times. I didn’t know Joe well, but I think about him every Memorial Day.

Joe joined the Army after graduating in 2005.

By the spring of ‘07, he was in Iraq. Joe was a gunner, doing military stuff outside Baghdad.

A false report of his death rippled through our school that spring. Nobody could believe it. Strong, positive, brave guys like Joe don’t die at 20 years old.

“Joe!? That wouldn’t happen to him.”

But a month later, it did.

Joe’s unit was ambushed and captured. They found his body in the Euphrates River.

I’ll never forget when Joe came home.

The town filled our football stadium, and they brought Joe’s casket in on a horse-drawn carriage. I was a couple weeks away from graduating and moving into the next season of life.

Everything felt ahead of me.

And here was Joe, his last season complete.

There have been hundreds of thousands of Joes over the generations.

Thank you, Joe, for giving your life so I can have mine.

You can read more about Joe here.

🇺🇸

Every Veteran who comes home deserves our full support.

And for those who don’t, their families deserve it.

Here are a few organizations Veteran friends of mine recommended that are worthy of your support:

Hunter Seven Foundation - early detection and treatment of cancers in Veterans

VETS – preventing Veteran suicide through alternative treatments

Beyond the Brotherhood – helping Navy SEALS transition out of the military and into a new mission in the private sector

The Honor Foundation – career transition program for Special Operations Forces

Big Sky Bravery – post-deployment decompression programs for active duty Special Operations Forces

The Station Foundation - supporting Special Operations Forces and their families on the transition back home

Darby Warrior Support – providing the Special Operations community programs to recover, heal and connect

May we all enjoy our families, friends and barbecues this weekend while remembering the price that has been (and continues to be) paid.

Teddy is the author of The Process. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife and kids. Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn or X, or reply to this email.