My name is Zach Scheel. I’m the co-founder and CEO of Rhumbix. As we head into this upcoming Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to take a moment to recognize the sacrifices of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have given their lives to protect and defend our country since its inception. 

Before Rhumbix, I served for five years on active duty as a U.S. Navy Seabee, and my co-founder, Drew DeWalt, served for six years in the U.S. Navy as a submarine officer. Memorial Day is a special day for me because it’s an opportunity each year to set aside time to reflect upon and remember shipmates who paid the ultimate price and gave their lives in defense of our freedoms, including Lieutenant Frank Toner and Hospital Corpsman Second Class Luke Milam.

As a company, we celebrate Memorial Day to honor the sacrifice of all service members who’ve lost their lives and as a tribute to our industry. The construction sector counts many Veterans among its ranks, due in large part to some great programs for transitioning service members such as Helmets to Hardhats. Helmets to Hardhats. Many of these Veterans also know soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who lost their lives fighting for our country, and for that, we set aside time to honor their sacrifice and the impact it had on their families, friends, co-workers, and loved ones.

As we head into this weekend, I encourage you to take five minutes to reflect on the weekend’s significance and why we dedicate this day as one of our country’s national holidays. It truly is a time to remember the sacrifices paid by those service members who lost their lives and the families and friends that continue to carry on for them. 

If you would like to do something to honor the service and sacrifice of the U.S. military and their families and friends, one of the charities we’ve worked with before is wear blue run to remember. Founded by Lisa Hallett after her husband, John was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2009.

Thank you for joining us on this day of remembrance. I wish everyone a safe Memorial Day weekend.

Zach Scheel 

Co-founder and CEO, Rhumbix

About wear blue: run to remember:

wear blue is an international community honoring the service and sacrifice of our nation’s military through active remembrance. As an all-inclusive organization, wear blue operates seven programs designed to grow a healthy, ready, and resilient military family. The need for such an organization was found following the redeployment of 5-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, a unit that, while deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, sustained a significant amount of combat losses and casualties. During that deployment, a small group of 5-2 wives and battalion support staff met weekly to run, seeking to create a support network for one another during this challenging and heartbreaking deployment. When the brigade returned, two of those Army wives and avid runners, Lisa Hallett and Erin O’Connor, turned this small group into a nationwide vision that now helps thousands heal from and work through the more challenging aspects of military life during a time of war. Lisa’s husband, CPT John Hallett, was one of four soldiers killed in that unit on August 25, 2009, while returning from a goodwill mission in Southern Afghanistan.