I recently had the honor of attending the 2015 Joint Military Ball for the State of Michigan and seeing around 500 of our men and women in uniform. These brave soldiers are just a few of the individuals who have taken the oath to protect our country and to help defend our freedom.

A tradition for this event was that the youngest and oldest in uniform are chosen to sample the cake. This has a lot of symbolism as it shows the guidance and wisdom that the elder gives to the youth. For this event, the youngest was two weeks out of boot camp. The oldest was a 97 year old World War II Veteran. Talk about the honor just being in that room with him.

One other tradition at this get together is a lone table set up in the middle of the dance floor. This table is draped in a black tablecloth and has a single red rose signifying the blood that has been shed, a yellow ribbon for all of the support we have given these soldiers while they were deployed, lemons signifying the bitterness of defeat, a plate with salt on it signifying all of the tears that have been shed and an overturned glass for the fallen as they would not be dining with is tonight. This was truly something that sent chills up the spine and something that was so amazing to see.

Thanks again to the Army, Navy Air Force Marines and Coast Guard for allowing me to share this special event and thank you all for your dedication to defending the the freedom that we hold so dear.