If you know how to listen, there is a rare stillness to be found among the rolling hills of Arlington National Cemetery. A solemn gravity settles across the landscape of that place and today, the air was crisp and cool and the last of the late autumn leaves clung to the trees with a subtle desperation. The sun shone bright across the endless rows of gleaming headstones. In this otherwise serene environment, I found myself, once again, standing in Section 60. The small patch of sacred ground within Arlington that serves as the final resting place for so many of our nation’s warriors who have fought in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.

This time, I stood awaiting the beginning of the interment of United States Army Staff Sergeant James “Jimmy” Moriarty, Texas-Austin ’11. Jimmy grew up in Houston, attending Annunciation Orthodox School and Strake Jesuit College Preparatory. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and was a proud SigEp from our Texas Alpha Chapter. Following his graduation with a bachelor’s degree in economics, he joined the Army and eventually earned his place in the storied ranks of the Special Forces, more commonly known as “Green Berets.” Jimmy was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky. with the 5th Special Forces Group.

On November 4, 2016, Jimmy and two other brave soldiers were killed in Jordan. This is what brought me, and hundreds of others, back to Arlington. We stood along the tree-lined street that borders Section 60 trying to discuss lighter things. We walked over to the Patriot Guard riders, a motorcycle club that travels to military funerals, and paid our respects to those fine men and women. We snapped a few photos and waited … and then we heard them.

It started with a whisper. That whisper grew into the steady but melancholy beat of drums. These drums marked the cadence for the procession carrying Jimmy’s body. The horse-drawn caisson with the flag-draped casket made its way down the hill toward the final resting place where that very casket would be eventually placed. The six white horses walked with a military precision befitting their duties. Behind the casket were hundreds of Jimmy’s family, friends and fellow Green Berets. The procession stopped and the Army casket bearers unloaded the body of our SigEp brother. His casket was placed under a small canopy where his immediate family took their seats. All others gathered around and listened to the service.

There is no way to communicate to you what happens during the interment ceremony of a fallen warrior and sufficiently convey the gravity and the humility felt by all present. I have witnessed far too many of these services, and I arrived at Arlington National Cemetery that morning thinking I knew exactly what to expect. I was wrong. While all the words and little events that make up this ceremony stayed true, I wasn’t prepared for the fact that I was a father myself now. I stood no more than 20 feet away and watched a father and mother say goodbye to their beloved son for the last time. I watched dozens of Green Berets execute a final salute to Jimmy and pound their Special Forces tabs into the wood of his casket. I heard the chaplain’s words and the three sets of sharp cracks rend the air as yet another 21-gun salute rang out over the cemetery. The solemn tones of taps played out from a lone bugler. The “Ballad of the Green Berets” was sung for all to hear. Everyone present that day felt the loss of Jimmy in one way or another, even if they had never met him. That empty feeling can manifest itself in many ways, but we should all use it — and the legacy that Jimmy leaves — as a force to galvanize our collective will.

That, I believe, is the true lesson to be taken away from the death of a young warrior like Jimmy with such a bright future. Our people sleep peacefully in their beds only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf and bring the fight to our enemies. We are still actively engaged in combat in many places, and we owe it to them to honor the sacrifices they make, sometimes with their very lives. They make these sacrifices so that we don’t have to. Let us all live lives worthy of such great Americans.

As the service ended and the crowd dispersed, I was able to take a moment to approach the casket. I placed a SigEp Veterans coin bearing the SigEp crest on top and said a final goodbye to a young man, SigEp brother and American warrior that I can only wish I would have had the opportunity to meet.

We all left Arlington that day with a great sense of sadness. Sadness over the loss of a son. Sadness over the loss of a brother. Sadness over the loss of one of America’s best. Amid such pain it can be tempting to go internal; to quit thinking of others and instead focus solely on ourselves. The next time you experience something difficult, whether it’s a challenge in school, work or your personal lives, remember Staff Sergeant James F. Moriarty. Remember the type of brother that SigEp lost that day. We are all better for having worn the same letters as him.

The Ballad of the Green Berets

Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret

Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America’s best
One hundred men we’ll test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Trained to live, off nature’s land
Trained in combat, hand to hand
Men who fight by night and day
Courage deep, from the Green Beret

Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America’s best
One hundred men we’ll test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed
Leaving her this last request

Put silver wings on my son’s chest
Make him one of America’s best
He’ll be a man they’ll test one day
Have him win the Green Beret

Dave Bradt, California-Davis ’03, served in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Upon returning from overseas, Bradt received his MBA from Boston University and later joined IBM’s Global Business Services. Since 2013, he has facilitated for SigEp’s Carlson Leadership Academy, Life After College and Ruck Leadership Institute. Bradt also serves as the chapter counselor for George Washington and is the chairman of the SigEp Military Veterans Task Force. He enjoys spending time with his wife Courtney and their son, Theron.