I have no military background and don't come from a military family.

But with an email list of over 50,000 people and social media reach of over 200,000, I know I have some military folks reading, listening and watching.

I’ve been to a bunch of countries. Have fans, clients and subscribers from all over the world.

There is NO PLACE with the combination of freedom and opportunity like America.

Any Americans reading this who haven't traveled anywhere, consider the following.

- There are countries where you can’t outwardly be LGBTQ without getting beat up, jailed, or killed.

- Places where there’s a harsh penalty for talking down on the government, and you can’t disagree with the group that’s in power.

- Countries where the police (or military acting as police) aren't held accountable. They can rob you, beat you, extort you, and there’s no legal recourse.

- Religious freedom is not a given everywhere. Believing in the “wrong” god will cost you and your family until you convert or escape – and you’d have to leave all your resources behind to get out.

The freedom we have in America – and the relative peace that accompanies that freedom – is defended by our military.

Peace is protected by war.

We have peace in America because of our willing and capable military. They defend our freedom, our right to argue over politics on Facebook, even our right to disagree with the actions of the military itself.

Memorial Day is a day to honor and remember those who have, do and will lay their lives on the line to allow us to live in relative safety and not worry about foreign invaders.

If you've never lived outside of America, you are lucky to have been born here. The freedoms you have here are not normal.

To the military members: Salute and appreciation.