Luke Messer: “May is an important month for Hoosiers. We celebrate Indiana's great racing tradition, the Indianapolis 500, and our…”

“May is an important month for Hoosiers. We celebrate Indiana's great racing tradition, the Indianapolis 500, and our longstanding military tradition on Memorial Day and during Military Appreciation Month. There are almost half a million veterans living in Indiana today in addition to the 30,000 Hoosiers currently serving in the armed services, Reserve, and the Guard. We are proud of our military men and women in Indiana. These honorable Hoosiers are our fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, neighbors, and friends. Service and patriotic duty is the Hoosier way. Actually, both of my grandfathers, my Grandpa Lathery and my Grandpa Rotzien, served our Nation in the armed services. This May, as we gather together to celebrate our great Hoosier traditions, let's remember the reason that we get to celebrate. It is all thanks to the men and women who have put their lives on the line so that each of us can be free. On Memorial Day, we, of course, remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, but every day we can remember that we owe our military families and our vets a debt that can never be repaid. Let's all do everything we can to ensure they are honored every day. ____________________”