Memorial Day is personal for me and every other veteran who put on our nation’s uniform and served.

I served in the United States Army for more than a decade, and I very likely would still be serving if I didn’t lose both of my legs in combat. I’m one of the lucky ones, however.

For every one of us that made it home, there are countless others that did not. Some of those that didn’t make it home were my friends.

These were soldiers signed up with no lofty notions of winning medals or having a movie made of their exploits. These were individuals who knew the risk associated with serving in the military. But those concerns weren’t as strong as their love for their country.

Their sacrifice inspires me everyday. That’s why I wear three metal cuffs on my wrist engraved with the names of the friends I lost in combat. I carry their sacrifice with me every day and I try to live in a way that honors their lives.

This Memorial Day I ask that you take a moment and think of all the men and women who signed up to serve their country and came back in flag-draped caskets.