via Black Rifle Coffee
Right now, you’re probably focused on one of three things: keeping the grill at a respectable 350 degrees for searing those start-of-summer steaks, icing down a cooler of domestic beer, or actively ignoring the fact that you have to go back to work on Tuesday.
And you should be. There is absolutely zero shame in enjoying a long weekend. That is the exact American freedom we’ve been handed. But between the boat ramps and the backyard BBQs, it’s dangerously easy to forget the staggering price tag attached to this 72-hour pass.
And that lane is where Mat Best shines.
If you know the Black Rifle Coffee Company co-founder, you probably know him for his irreverent, whiskey-fueled internet antics. But for Memorial Day, the former Army Ranger pivoted hard, dropping an original country song and cinematic music video called “Folded Flag.”
There is serious financial weight backing the release. BRCC is dropping a $150,000 donation to the Major Brent Taylor Foundation, an organization that steps in to help Gold Star families navigate life after the headlines fade and the military ceremonies end.
The charity aspect is awesome and inspiring. But the thing that will actually make you stop mid-scroll and pay attention is what is happening beneath the video itself.
If you’ve spent more than five minutes online, you know YouTube comments are usually a toxic wasteland of bots, crypto scams, and people aggressively arguing over nothing. But the section under “Folded Flag” has organically morphed into something completely different: a spontaneous, digital memorial wall.
Scroll down, and you’ll see GWOT veterans checking in, typing out the names of buddies they lost in Baghdad or Helmand. You’ve got sons talking about the glass-cased flags sitting quietly on their mantles. You’ve got a 58-year-old combat vet freely admitting he’s “bawling his eyes out.”
One comment reads: “It’s odd to think we get older, get more wrinkles, but there are a few who never age in our hearts and minds.”
People are praising the production value, and also using the space to publicly grieve, remember, and process the weight of a sacrifice most of us will never fully comprehend.
Hey loopk, nobody is telling you to cancel your BBQ. That would be lame. So fire up the grill. Drink the beer. Enjoy not having to clock in tomorrow.
But before the weekend gets away from you, take three minutes. Watch the video and take a pause.
And, more importantly…. Read the YouTube comments.
Specifically, read the names and stories of the brave and fallen.
via YouTube
The price of admission for this kickoff to summer was paid entirely by men and women who never made it back, and the families left holding the flag.
When you finally crack open that next beer today, you’ll know exactly who you’re raising it to.