South Dakota remains beautiful and free

I may be biased, but I think South Dakota is one of the most beautiful places in the world. This week Falls Park in Sioux Falls was rated the 2nd best city park in the country. It should’ve been ranked #1! But this achievement is just the latest acknowledgement of South Dakota’s beauty.

For the first time in a long time, I was able to spend some quiet time with my family this Memorial Day weekend. We were out in the Black Hills – one of the most picture-perfect places on the planet. And we weren’t alone. I’ve never seen so many visitors to the Hills in all my life – license plates from every corner of this country.

Everywhere I went, I was met with words of encouragement and reassurance that the path we took to address Covid-19 was the right one. The people of this state are truly fantastic, and I appreciated getting to spend some time with them.

In addition to some downtime, my family also took some time to commemorate Memorial Day. I spent part of the day visiting with veterans and reflecting on the memories of some of the men and women who gave their life for this country. These individuals and the courageous, self-less sacrifice they made for our nation must never be forgotten.

One young man whose story of bravery has touched so many is Lt. Michael Murphy, a Navy Seal who was killed in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. While out on a mission, he and his team were pinned down by the Taliban. In order to call for help, Lt. Murphy stepped into a clearing with his satellite phone. He was shot in the process of making the call, but refused to give up. Unphased by the unimaginable pain he must have been in, he persevered. Eventually, the call went through, and he continued fighting until he died from his wounds. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Every Memorial Day, thousands of people honor Lt. Murphy by doing what’s called “The Murph Challenge.” To some this might look like just a workout, but to those who partake in it, the tradition is a humbling experience that enables its participants to embrace a little bit of pain and a lot of sweat to honor the memory of this young man who gave his life for our freedom. Monday morning, my family all got up and worked through “The Murph Challenge.” If this isn’t something you’ve ever done, I invite you to set a reminder for yourself for next year to help you and your family commemorate Memorial Day.

I want everyone to continue to think about the freedoms and liberties that our heroes like Lt. Murphy died defending. Let’s not only think about them on holidays like Memorial Day – let’s continue to reflect on them. These are the principles our country was founded on and things that make America such a special place. If we continue to hold onto them and continue working together, we’ll emerge from this trying time stronger than ever before.