Editor’s Note: The following is the speech delivered by Nolan Parent at the Higganum/Haddam Memorial Day ceremony on May 25, 2026.
For 250 years, American men and women have fought and sacrificed for our flag, our way of life, our ideals, and, above all, our freedom. Since 1775, approximately 1.3 million brave Americans have given their lives in service to our nation.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States’s independence, we have the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices and perseverance that have shaped our nation into what it is today. The freedoms we enjoy were not granted without cost; they were secured and preserved through the courage and dedication of those who served before us.
The United States has long stood as a symbol of opportunity and liberty for people around the world. For generations, individuals from every corner of the globe have pursued the American Dream — the promise of freedom, opportunity, and a better future. That enduring dream has been made possible through the sacrifice of the brave men and women of our Armed Forces, whose service has safeguarded the liberties we hold dear.
I began my military journey in 2010, joining the United States Army during the height of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. While I did not fully understand the challenges that lay ahead, I was proud to follow in the footsteps of generations of military service within my family. My path began at Fort Benning, Georgia, where I completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training, followed by Airborne School and the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program.
Out of more than 150 candidates, I was honored to be among the twenty-five selected to successfully complete the program. Upon graduation, I was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, where I immediately began serving in one of the Army’s most demanding and highly respected combat units.
Over the course of four and a half years, I deployed to Afghanistan four times. During those deployments, we conducted hundreds of nighttime raids and time-sensitive operations targeting high-value members of the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and Haqqani terrorist networks. Our mission was direct and unforgiving: to capture or kill enemy leadership and disrupt their operational capabilities. Night after night, we closed with and destroyed the enemy.
Each mission carried the same uncertainty. Would we capture the target? Would lethal force be necessary? Or would we not make it home ourselves?
For the first three and a half deployments, we felt almost invincible. We had killed or captured hundreds of enemy fighters and leaders. Up to that point, only two members of our unit had been wounded by gunfire, and both survived. We endured intense combat operations, countless firefights, ambushes, and explosions, yet repeatedly returned to our temporary home relatively unscathed. Every night, we came back. Until one night, we did not.
October 5, 2013, began like countless missions before it. As the sun set, Rangers prepared for the operation—checking weapons and equipment, loading magazines, securing grenades and flashbangs, and ensuring breaching tools and explosives were properly staged. During the pre-mission brief, we were informed of the objective: a target compound linked through positive voice identification to one of the top ten High-Value Individuals in the Global War on Terror.
After departing Kandahar Airfield, the helicopters made the short twenty-minute flight over Kandahar City and into the desert beyond. The aircraft landed approximately 100 meters from the target compound. Surveillance identified two individuals inside the walls while a third fled the structure. A small element separated from the main assault force to pursue the runner.
As the primary assault team approached the entrance, they encountered what appeared to be a surrendering military-aged male standing in the doorway. As the lead assaulter took hold of him, a woman—appearing to be pregnant—rushed forward from behind and detonated a suicide vest. The explosion killed both individuals instantly and seriously wounded four Rangers at the breach point.
Simultaneously, the team pursuing the fleeing suspect intercepted him and attempted to compel his surrender. When he refused, a military working dog was released and closed to within feet of the suspect before he detonated a second suicide vest. The blast wounded several Rangers and killed the military working dog.
What followed was immediate chaos. The objective rapidly transformed into a mass casualty event as personnel moved in every direction to secure the compound, treat the wounded, and regain control of the situation. Amid the confusion, Rangers unknowingly triggered a total of thirteen pressure-plate improvised explosive devices concealed throughout the area.
Without a single shot being fired by either American forces or the enemy, we suffered four Americans killed in action and more than twenty wounded. The injuries ranged from traumatic brain injuries and shrapnel wounds to amputations. It was the worst night of my life. It was the night I lost one of my closest friends.
Sergeant Patrick Christopher Hawkins, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, died a hero while rushing to aid another wounded Ranger. As he moved toward his teammate, another Ranger beside him stepped on a pressure-plate improvised explosive device, killing them both. There is not a day that passes that I do not think about him. And there is not a day that passes that I would not trade places with him if I could.
So this Memorial Day, I ask only this: take a moment to reflect on why this day exists. Reflect on what freedom truly means to you, and on the sacrifices made to preserve it. Consider what it has cost to bring us to where we are today, and whether we are living lives worthy of those who never had the opportunity to live theirs. Thank you for your support. By your presence here today, I believe you understand the value of the freedoms we share as Americans.
