Chris Pratt is urging his fellow Americans to remember the sacrifices of the people who have dedicated their lives to serving their country in the military in an emotional social media tribute. As the Monday holiday honored U.S. military members who have fallen in the line of duty, the Tomorrow War star, 41, shared to social media 10 images of people mourning their loved ones who were lost during their service. He urged people to pay their respects and keep the reason for the holiday in mind while celebrating, beginning his lengthy caption, “Please, look at each one. Pause, give them your consideration.”
“America’s exceptional armed forces have altered the course of the world for the better. From the Union Army defeating slave owning confederates, to the Greatest Generation and her Allies vanquishing the Nazis or our special operators hunting down the perpetrators of 9/11,” the actor Pratt, who is married to Katherine Schwarzenegger, said of the photos he shared. “We count the names of each fallen solider lest they be countless. They are the good guys. They run to the sound of gunfire.”
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He continued that the service members “know pain and suffering” people who aren’t in the military never will. “They have given us the most free and decent society planet earth has ever seen,” Pratt wrote. “We run the risk of losing that decency when we fail to instill gratitude in the minds of our youth or the perspective of what it actually means to be free – should they never learn of the selfless sacrifice of our armed service members in the face of oppressive evil.”
He invited his followers, “So join me in showing support for our fallen. Take a quiet moment to really consider the sacrifice,” before addressing people directly who may criticize his message of gratitude towards the military. “And if you use the comments section on posts like this to b— and moan about America please understand there are countries in the world where criticizing your government will get you killed or imprisoned.”
Calling criticism a “right and necessity in amending the flawed systems of man,” Pratt invited his followers to “by all means, let your voice be heard.” Even then, he continued, people should “never forget your right to free expression is paid for in blood.” He concluded emotionally, “May God give their souls rest, and may they live in our memories this weekend and always.”
