06/17/2026
The Day They Refused to Die: Most people don’t know much about war. It’s something they see in a movie or a newsreel. But war is incredibly inhumane—the worst of human inventions. For those who have experienced it, they just can’t get it out of their heads. It haunts them for the rest of their lives.
I’ve had the honor and privilege to know many men and women who have been in combat. They are changed forever. They can never un-see what they have seen, or in many cases, what they had to do.
A friend of mine who served as a nurse in Iraq once shared her experience with me. She recalled a young, severely wounded soldier who she knew was not going to make it through the night. To comfort him, she held his hand and said, “I’ll see you in the morning.” She knew full well it was a lie, and that he would pass away that evening.
"I would go outside, throw up, and cry," she told me. "But I would never let them see me crying. To this day, I still see him in my dreams."
The closest I ever came to war was as a young boy in Cuba, when the rebels came to take over our town. They started a firefight to seize a government garrison directly across from our home. They overran our house and used it to fight their battle. My family sought shelter in another part of town, and when we finally returned, we came back to a home riddled with bullet holes.
As happens so often in war, one side overruns a position they can’t hold, and the other side comes back to claim what was theirs just a day before. It is a vicious cycle. Yet, we continue to send our young to do these incredibly hard jobs in faraway places.
As time passed, I got to know more of these service members—many of them only in their 20s, living with life-changing injuries. I kept thinking: If they were my child, and they came back with these horrific, devastating wounds, I wouldn’t want the VA to be their only source of care.
Our neighbors, our community leaders, and our citizens have an obligation to step up. We need to help, and most importantly, show love, respect, and recognition for their sacrifice.
At Wounded Heroes of America, we realized early on the profound value of fellowship. The big national foundations can handle the massive infrastructure, but we can make a direct, tangible difference right here close to home. We also understood the power of education and sharing these stories.
One day, one of our veterans called and invited me to his house. They were having a party.
"What’s the occasion?" I asked. "It’s my Alive Day," he replied.
I had never heard the term before. "What’s an Alive Day?"
"It’s the day I was wounded, but survived," he said. "We celebrate it every year."
Wow. At that moment, I realized that "Alive Day" was something we desperately needed to talk about. We needed to educate the public and make people truly think about sacrifice. If it had that profound of an impact on me, it would have an impact on others once they understood the why.
We had always wanted to host a summer family event at the beach, so we decided that this would become our annual Alive Day Celebration. Every year, in the middle of summer, we gather by the ocean to celebrate life.
Community in Action -We don’t just party with veterans and their families; we invite our entire community to join us.
Two incredible guys who make this day unforgettable are Chris Kelly, manager at Dive N Surf, and Dylan Sohngen, CEO of Aqua Surf. They bring out their amazing staffs to provide surf lessons, boogie boarding, and pure joy, making the day incredibly special for everyone.
This is exactly what community looks like: neighbors getting involved to make life better for those who made life better for all of us.
So, on this 250th birthday of our great country, come break bread with us. Let’s stand together to recognize and honor those who protect our way of life.
Mike Talleda
