The first piece of shredded steel tore into the base of Joe Karlen's neck, ripped through the muscles of his back and lodged behind his left shoulder blade. A millisecond later, another piece of shrapnel tore through the muscle of his right leg, just above the knee, all the way to the bone. A mortar round had detonated in a tree above Karlen, sending jagged hunks of German metal screaming in all directions. It was D-Plus-Eight--the eighth day after Allied troops landed at Normandy. The land invasion of Europe was under way, and Karlen, a 22-year-old…farmboy, was down. He wasn't out.

Peter Wasson, The Wausau Daily Herald

We hear it every Memorial Day, Veterans’ Day, and 4th of July: “Heroic men and women died defending our freedom.” But we can’t let it become merely a platitude. The heroes who gave their lives for our freedom are not statistics; they are real men and women cut down in their primes to preserve our freedom.

On this episode of The 40 Days for Life Podcast, we pay tribute to the real heroes who secured those real freedoms--including our liberty to pray for an end to abortion. 

Mentioned on this Podcast:

Steven Karlen, Campaign Director

Prior to joining the headquarters team, Steve directed several highly-successful 40 Days for Life campaigns in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. As campaign director, Steve helps local 40 Days for Life leaders build and improve life-saving efforts in their communities.