Welcome to Everyday Patriot – Stories of Courage, Service, and Honor

 

Welcome to Everyday Patriot

Stories of Courage, Service, and Honor

Every name has a story, and every story deserves to be remembered.

Everyday Patriot began more than a decade ago, during my oldest son’s first deployment. As the daughter of a Vietnam War veteran, the wife of a U.S. Navy veteran, and the mother of two Army infantry veterans, I’ve always known the cost of military service, but when my oldest son deployed to Afghanistan the first time, that cost became deeply personal.

When tragedy struck his battalion, I was reminded how easily the stories of those who serve are reduced to statistics, brave souls spoken of as “troops” or “service members,” with their humanity quietly lost between headlines.

That moment changed me.

I began Everyday Patriot to honor the lives behind the uniforms, to share the faces, families, and small details that make each service member’s story uniquely human. I don’t focus on battles or tactics, but on the people: their courage, their humor, their hope, and their love for home.

Each tribute is written with care and drawn from public records, hometown papers, and personal remembrance, stitched together with empathy, gratitude, and respect. Over the years, I’ve cried for every story I’ve told, but I keep writing because I believe remembrance is an act of love.

This project is, and always will be, a labor of heart,  one that will never truly be finished. Because our troops are not just “service members.”

They are our people.

They are us.

With love and unwavering support,

a.d. elliott 

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