Beers, Freedom, A Hometown Hero: What I Love About Memorial Day Weekend

This year, summer does not officially start until June 20, though we all know that Memorial Day weekend is when the season of sun, long days and sunset golf rounds really kicks off.

This weekend is one of my favorite times of the year. Yes, summer is here. The ice-cold domestics are flowing like the Colorado River. The beaches are breezy. The double bogeys are kept to a minimum. (Subscribe to MR. RIGHT, a weekly newsletter about modern masculinity)

We honor US Army Capt. Andrew M. Pedersen Keel, who was killed in action on March 11, 2013, in Wardak, Afghanistan. Please help me honor him so that he is not forgotten. pic.twitter.com/cPNzsNgJ2q

— Military Support (@MilitaryCooI) March 25, 2025

But I love Memorial Day because I feel an overwhelming sense of patriotism and nostalgia for America, about as much as I do on Independence Day in July.

Cookouts. Quality time with family and friends. Veterans from all our wars marching stoically in parades. It makes me appreciate the greatness of America, and how that greatness is nurtured both through simple acts in small towns and grand victories on the world stage.

America may have its fair share of problems. Not everything here is perfect. But it’s still a beautiful country, the best country, made up of kind and decent people, people who would help a complete stranger with a flat tire, and people who would bravely storm a beach in France to liberate an entire continent.

I am also reminded of Army Capt. Andrew Pedersen-Keel, a great American hero who grew up in my hometown of Madison, Connecticut. Pedersen-Keel served two tours, and he was tragically killed on March 13, 2011, in eastern Afghanistan. I am filled with an enormous sense of pride knowing that my small, sleepy hometown produced such a brave warrior willing to fight for our freedoms abroad.

Enjoy the holiday, and maybe even get in your feels about America. And to all the veterans reading this, and to all your loved ones who may have served and made the ultimate sacrifice: Thank you.