The Weight of 48 | Thank you, Marc Lee

Some men carry a rifle.

Some men carry weight.

The Mk48 isn’t just a weapon designation. It’s a role. A responsibility. In a platoon, everyone has a job — some move fast and quiet, some watch from a distance, and some carry the kind of firepower meant to keep everyone else alive when things go bad.

The one with the “big gun” isn’t just there to shoot.

He’s there to stand in the gap.

The Mk48 is heavy for a reason. It brings reach, force, and the ability to hold back chaos long enough for teammates to move, recover the wounded, or make it home. Carrying it means you are the extension of protection. The anchor point when everything else starts moving too fast.

That was Marc Lee.

Marc was a Navy SEAL who carried the Mk48 in Ramadi. Not because it looked tough. Not because it sounded impressive. But because someone has to be the one willing to step into the open when others need cover. Someone has to shoulder the burden when the moment demands it.

And he did.

In August of 2006, Marc laid down suppressive fire to protect his teammates during a brutal firefight. He exposed himself so others could move. He re-engaged when others were hit. He carried out the purpose of that role exactly the way it was meant to be carried.

And it cost him his life.

The number 48 meant something in his hands.

The Mk48.

The weight.

The responsibility.

The role of protector.

This year, Marc would have turned 48 years old.

There’s something that hits deep about that number. Not just as a birthday. But as a reminder that his life didn’t end in meaning that day — it multiplied. His sacrifice didn’t close a chapter. It started a mission.

Out of that loss, something powerful was born. A movement rooted in his final words home — words that didn’t talk about anger or revenge, but about love. About kindness. About taking care of one another.

Pass on the kindness.

Pass on the love.

Pass on the precious gift of human life.

That spirit is what carries forward today. It’s what drives us to show up for veterans, for families of the fallen, and for the men Marc once called brothers. It’s what turns remembrance into action.

Because the role of the one who carries the weight doesn’t end on the battlefield.

Sometimes it looks like support.

Sometimes it looks like community.

Sometimes it looks like showing up when it would be easier not to.

On March 21st, at the Scottsdale Gun Club, we gather to celebrate Marc’s life, his legacy, and the mission that continues in his name.

What would be his 48th birthday becomes a night that honors the man, the number, and the purpose he carried all the way to the end.

This isn’t just an event.

It’s a chance to help carry the weight forward.

To stand in the gap for those who’ve sacrificed.

To pass on kindness in a world that desperately needs more of it.

To make sure Marc’s mission — taking care of his boys — never stops.

Now that purpose is ours to carry.

Save the date.

March 21, 2026.

Be there. Stand with us. Help us carry it.

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This night is one moment. The mission is ongoing.

Learn more about the foundation and the work happening beyond this event: https://www.gudhand.com/giving-back