For most of my life, I grew up honoring this day but I was also terrified of what it meant. Each year, my father took part in local or national ceremonies to honor the memory of soldiers that gave their lives. Most were for those that he didn't know personally but sometimes for those that he did. His fellow soldiers, his friends, his brothers. I always knew what this day meant, but it wasn't until I was an adult that it felt real and my childhood fears became realized.
I'm sorry to hear that you lost your friend and your partner, but thank you for telling his story and also your story. I think you would have made him proud with how you've striven to honor his memory not only on days like today but every other day. For a good while, I don't know if I was able to do the same for my father, but in the end, I hope I've been able to make him proud.