On Memorial Day 2026, the Smoke Pit paused the news cycle to do something simpler: remember.

Our members shared the names of those they served with who never came home. Army veteran Katie Chorbak traced the history of Black Americans who fought in every American war while being denied the rights those wars were supposedly defending. Army veteran Max Stubbs asked what it actually means to honor a sacrifice, not just for a day, but in how we live. Army veteran Steph Money broke down the National Moment of Remembrance and why it exists. Navy veteran Chris Hooper spoke the names of service members he served alongside. Marine veteran Chris Koepp spoke the names of his brothers lost in Afghanistan.

This episode doesn't have a policy angle. There's no action item at the end. It's just the Smoke Pit community doing what veterans do: showing up for each other and for the ones who aren't here anymore.

To every service member who never came home: we do not forget.