Memorial Day: The Costs They Bore

Nearly 25 years ago, America was forever changed in an instant. Those old enough to remember the day can tell precisely where, when and how we first learned of the terrible attacks on our country on Sept. 11, 2001. In the years that have followed, an entire generation has answered the call to serve amidst global conflict and uncertainty.

And today, for the vast majority of Americans enlisting or commissioning into the U.S. Armed Forces, that day is not a memory – rather, it is history. Born in the post-9/11 era, they have never known an America untouched by terrorism or war. The same is true for most students now attending Texas A&M University.

But while the events that shape each generation of Aggies differ, the spirit of service has endured. Just as Classes before them did, thousands of Aggies have enlisted or commissioned into our military since 9/11, motivated by a firm sense of duty and a deep love of country. Each did so with a clear understanding of the sacrifice that may be required of them, and these Aggies have been deployed around the world in support of our nation’s priorities.

But some never made it home.

At least 33 Aggies have lost their lives in service to our country since 9/11. Among them was 1st Lt. Ryan T. Sanders ’01, a tank platoon leader in the U.S. Army assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. Lt. Sanders was killed in Baghdad on June 5, 2006, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his tank during combat operations.

An Eagle Scout and graduate of Texas A&M with degrees in English and sociology, Ryan later earned a master’s degree in English before joining the Army in 2004. His professors in the English department remembered him as thoughtful and optimistic, and the kind of student who was “a privilege to teach.”

Military service was a proud tradition in the Sanders family. Ryan’s father was an Army veteran, and two of his three brothers had served in the Persian Gulf region. But Ryan did not commission simply for the sake of tradition; his father, Jim Sanders ’66, said that Ryan wanted to contribute to the greater good and believed he could make a difference in the Army.

Lt. Sanders, and every Aggie on this list, reminds us of the costs required to preserve a safe and free nation. Each name represents a son or daughter, a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a Classmate, a friend or a fellow Aggie whose devotion to something greater than self reflects the very best of our university and our country.

Aggies have nobly served in every major conflict since Texas A&M’s opening 150 years ago, and more than 1,100 have given their lives. They served with courage, honor and selflessness in defense of freedoms many will never fully see or know; and their sacrifices will forever remain among the most sacred and defining legacies of our university.

On this Memorial Day, I humbly ask Aggies everywhere to pause and remember the 1.3 million Americans who never made it home. Remember not just their final acts of heroism, but the lives they lived and the families who carry their memory.

May we each honor their loved ones by remaining faithful to the values they embodied; and may we never forget the costs they bore. God bless our fallen servicemembers and fallen Aggies, and God bless the United States of America.

With great respect,

Porter Garner ’79
President & CEO
The Association of Former Students