Home Base A Memorial Day Message from Home Base Florida Honorary Director General Fred Franks, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Dear Home Base Family,
On Memorial Day, this deeply moving and sacred day on May 26, 2026, we pause as a Nation, in this our County’s 250th Anniversary, to honor and remember the courageous men and women of our Armed Forces who gave what President Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion” in service to our country. We also honor the enduring strength and sacrifice of their Gold Star Families, whose courage and love continue long after the battlefield has fallen silent.
For those of us who have served, Memorial Day is deeply personal. Across generations, from World War II to Korea and Vietnam to Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan through the ongoing dangers faced by American service members around the world today, we carry with us the names, faces, and memories of fellow Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardians, and Coast Guardsmen who never came home. Even now, in areas of conflict and instability, American men and women in uniform continue to serve with courage, and some continue to make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our Nation and our allies. Their service reminds us that the cost of freedom remains very real.
We remember not only how these heroes died, but how they lived: serving with honor, courage, duty, loyalty, and devotion to something greater than themselves.
As I reflect on my own years of service, from Vietnam through the Cold War to commanding American and Allied forces in VII Corps during Operation Desert Storm, I am reminded that the bond among those who serve is sacred. It is built on trust: trust that we will honor and remember that service, that we will never forget those who fell, and trust that we will care for those who return carrying the invisible wounds of service.
Fulfilling that sacred trust lives at the heart of Home Base.
Every day, the dedicated Home Base Florida team led by Director Armando Hernandez fulfills this trust by providing world-class clinical care, wellness programs, peer support, and hope to Veterans, Service Members, Military Families, and Families of the Fallen all at no out-of-pocket cost. The invisible wounds of service, including post-traumatic stress, depression, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, and moral injury, can affect every aspect of life. Yet too many still struggle in silence.
At Home Base, we believe no Warrior or Family should face these challenges alone.
This Memorial Day, the best way we can honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice is through action: by reaching out to those who are hurting, by strengthening the communities that support our military families, and by ensuring that care and healing remain available for all who need it.
To our Veterans and Military Families: thank you for your service, your resilience, and your continued example of strength and courage. You lift us all up.
To our donors, partners, and supporters: thank you for standing alongside us in this mission. Your generosity makes healing possible and helps fulfill our enduring obligation to fulfill the trust of those who have borne the battle and to the Families who stand beside them.
As Americans gather this Memorial Day in cemeteries, churches, small towns, cities, and communities across our Nation, may we all take a quiet moment to remember the Fallen, honor their Families, and recommit ourselves to worthy service in their memory.
Together, we remember.
Together, we honor.
Together, we care.
With deepest respect and gratitude,
General Fred Franks
U.S. Army (Ret.)
Home Base Florida Honorary Director