The price of freedom is still being paid.

As America approaches its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, Memorial Day should steady us before it inspires us. In the weeks ahead, our country will rightly celebrate liberty. But Memorial Day asks something more solemn: to remember the Americans who never came home and to admit a hard truth that patriotic nations must never forget. The freedoms we praise in speeches and fireworks were preserved, generation after generation, by men and women who gave up their tomorrows for ours.

That is why this day also belongs to Gold Star families. Long after the final salute is rendered and the folded flag is placed in waiting hands, spouses, parents, children, and siblings continue carrying the weight of sacrifice. They live with the empty chair at the table, the birthday that always feels incomplete, the school event a mother or father never saw, the family story interrupted in an instant. The Gold Star symbol itself traces to World War I service flags, when a blue star for service turned gold after death in combat. The symbol endures because loss endures.

If we want to honor the fallen honestly, we must do more than speak reverently for a day. We must stand beside the families who bear that sacrifice every day. That means ensuring survivors can access the support they have earned—from the Defense Department’s death gratuity and survivor programs to VA’s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, survivor liaisons, and the help offered by veteran organizations.

Patriotism that stops at ceremony is incomplete; patriotism that walks with the grieving is worthy of the people we remember.

In military life, financial stability is not a side issue. The Department of Defense and Military OneSource both make the same point in different ways: financial readiness is part of mission readiness. Families under avoidable financial stress carry a burden that affects resilience, focus, and quality of life. When a spouse is managing a household during deployment, when a family is navigating PCS orders, or when a survivor is trying to understand benefits after devastating loss, trustworthy financial support matters.

From my vantage point at the Defense Credit Union Council, I see how defense credit unions quietly meet that need. For generations, military-focused credit unions have served service members and veterans on base, near base, and abroad. Some of the institutions in this movement trace their roots to 1933, 1935, and 1957; today, DCUC’s network reaches more than 40 million members and over $525 billion in assets. These are not abstract financial entities. They are community institutions built around military life, military mobility, and military sacrifice.

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Their service is practical and immediate: early access to military pay, VA loan guidance, responsible small-dollar credit, counseling, overseas access, and emergency relief when Washington fails to do its job. During the recent shutdown turmoil, one major military credit union reported issuing more than $350 million in interest-free loans to 82,000 members, while others offered emergency loans, payroll advances, or loan flexibility for affected households. That is patriotism translated into action—not in rhetoric, but in relief that helps a family make rent, buy groceries, cover a car payment, or stay focused on the mission.

Defense credit unions also show something important about American civic life. National strength is not built only in the Pentagon or on the battlefield. It is built in local institutions that help families stay resilient, protect young servicemembers from predatory lenders, guide veterans into homeownership, and keep communities near military bases economically steady. If we are serious about honoring sacrifice, then we should strengthen the institutions and policies that keep faith with military families year-round. Congress should protect uninterrupted military pay during shutdowns and remove barriers to no-cost financial education and counseling on installations. Communities should support survivor-serving organizations. Civic leaders should make room for Gold Star families in ceremonies, schools, congregations, and local service projects.

As America turns 250, let us do so with humility as well as pride. The surest way to honor the fallen is not merely to speak of freedom as if it sustains itself. It is to renew our covenant with the people who defend it, mourn it, and carry it forward. Memorial Day should shape the way we celebrate July 4 not only with gratitude, but with service, giving, and renewed civic responsibility.

On this Memorial Day, may we remember the fallen, embrace Gold Star families, and recommit ourselves to the shared duties that make this republic worthy of their sacrifice.

Jason Stverak is Chief Advocacy Officer for the Defense Credit Union Council, a role he assumed in April 2024. He previously served as Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer for Federal Government Affairs at America’s Credit Unions and was interim chief advocacy officer in 2022 and 2023. Earlier in his career, he was deputy chief of staff to Senator Kevin Cramer and held senior legislative roles in Congress and advocacy organizations. A prominent voice on Capitol Hill, Stverak is a frequent media contributor and has been recognized as a top lobbyist by The Hill and the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics.