This Memorial Day, I pause to honor and remember all the brave men and women who gave their lives in defense of our Constitution and the freedoms we cherish as Americans. Their sacrifices are etched into the heart of our nation, and their courage is the foundation upon which our country stands.
I also reflect on those whose stories remain hidden—service members whose deaths are still shrouded in secrecy by our own government. For their families, the pain of loss is compounded by unanswered questions and the burden of silence. How can a nation built on truth and justice continue to withhold answers from the loved ones of those who gave all?
For me, Memorial Day is deeply personal. My father, Major Jack J. Wells, was both a warrior and a humanitarian—a WWII and Vietnam War veteran, twice awarded the Combat Infantry Badge and a Bronze Star with Valor. He was also a whistleblower, always standing up for those without a voice. He died defending others when no one else would, and to this day, justice for his sacrifice remains elusive.
I have dedicated more than three decades to seeking the truth about my father’s life and death, chronicled in my award-winning investigative memoir, “Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew.” My quest continues as I, with the aid of my siblings, recently filed a lawsuit against the CIA in the U.S. District Court in DC. Just last week, the judge there ordered both parties to meet and confer, with a joint status report due by June 22, 2026. My attorney cautions that this is merely the beginning of a long and uncertain road, as we work to uncover what the CIA knows about my father’s death…and what they don’t know.
On this Memorial Day, may we honor not only the fallen heroes whose names and fates we know, but also those who are still waiting for their complete stories to be told.
“Justice may be slow and invisible, but it always renders its true verdict in the end.” – Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead
James B. Wells 