They devote their lives to protecting those that they've never met, selflessly stepping forward to defend all that we hold dear in this country.
These individuals don't join the service for recognition or fame, it's just simply what they feel called to do, forgoing personal ambition to become a part of something much larger than themselves.
They're the brave few who make up our Armed Forces, and some of our nation's very best are right here in Chiefs Kingdom.
The Chiefs have a rich history of supporting our men and women in uniform throughout the years, including through the "Tribute to the Troops" program at Arrowhead Stadium, which recognizes the real heroes in our community during every home game.
That initiative will take place once again this week as Lieutenant Colonel Michael Lee will be recognized as the "Tribute to the Troops" honoree during the Chiefs' matchup against the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon.
A veteran of both the Army (12 years) and the Air Force (18 years), Lee enlisted in 1991 for the simplest of reasons.
"I joined to serve my country," Lee said. "I was taught early that you need to serve society and your community to make it better."
Indeed, Lee went on to give the next 30 years of his life our country, handling a variety of responsibilities across deployments to Albania, Hungary, Bosnia, Kosovo, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Saudia Arabia and Iraq.
"My Army deployments were as Combat Medical Specialist, which meant I trained our allies and partners while also supporting combat operations in Bosnia during [multiple] operations," Lee said. "Later deployments were as a Combat Advisor and Air Advisor training Iraqi, Kurdish, and Afghani Forces during multiple deployments on combat operations and front-line logistics operations."
Notably, Lee spent a significant amount of time on convoy operations while in Iraq and Afghanistan, totaling more than 300 such missions. A consistently dangerous task, Lee encountered 21 firefights and survived 23 rocket and mortar attacks during those situations alone.
"During my third to last deployment, I was caught in a 40-minute run-and-gun fire fight, where my vehicle was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device," Lee said. "I was awarded a purple heart and continued to serve and deploy until I was medically retired from the effects of Complex PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury."
Although his career came to an end following the cumulative effects of those operations, Lee doesn't hesitate when reflecting on his decades of service.
"While I may not be the same as I was – we leave parts of our souls on unnamed dirt roads – I had the honor to serve with and alongside heroes," Lee said. "That alone made the years away from my family worth it."
In addition to now serving as a volunteer firefighter, Lee remains heavily involved with the Air Force Wounded Warrior program, where he speaks on not only surviving PTSD and combat wounds but also on the prospect of using those experiences to emerge stronger on the other side.
"[It's a matter of] understanding that traumatic events happened to us," Lee said. "They do not define or limit us."
A lifelong Chiefs fan who fondly remembers the days of Christian Okoye and Tony Gonzalez, Lee – who gave everything in defense of our country while asking for nothing in return – will now garner the recognition he more deserves on Sunday as he leads the team out of the tunnel while carrying the American flag.
"The last several years watching Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce bring home three championships has been amazing," Lee said. "Getting a chance to just be on the same field with two future Hall of Famers and getting to watch them hopefully beat the Jets is icing on the cake."
