Army veteran Mike Real has fond memories of being an MP with the 50th Military Police Company, 21st Support Command, while in Germany. His training and experience led him to eventually enter the police academy and work for the Los Angeles Police Department in California for 10 years. During his time in LA, he also dabbled in marketing and financial services. It was during a financial services seminar in the summer of 2000 that Real met a fellow attendee from Woodinville, Washington, named Sarah. By the end of 2000, they were dating, and in 2001, Sarah moved to LA. After Real retired from the LAPD, the couple moved to Tacoma in 2006 and were married on July 7, 2007.

Although Real was technically in retirement, the love of animals, specifically horses, brought him back to the work force.

"You need money to take care of animals," he said with a laugh.

Being born and raised in North Dakota instilled a love of animals in him early on. Real and his wife adopted an off-the-track thoroughbred horse and eventually want to have additional animals along with a larger family property. In the meantime, Real wanted to go back to work doing something where he felt comfortable. He realized that working with people who had recently lost someone was something he was familiar with. His empathy and compassion led him to work at Mountain View Memorial Park in Tacoma.

Real began his employment with Mountain View in 2015 and currently works with pre-need and at-need families who have lost a loved one. While Mountain View and Real provide families with exceptional service, they also actively support the surrounding communities. Mountain View sponsors or makes donations to several different organizations including Rotary clubs, Lakewood Children's Charity and local churches. They are particularly active in supporting firefighters, the police force and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Mountain View, Real said, is in the progress of putting together a fundraising dinner that will help raise funds to cover funeral expenses for families that otherwise cannot afford it.

As a veteran and as a customer service supervisor at Mountain View, Real's perception of the Memorial Day holiday has changed over the years.

"It is no longer a ‘grandpa's funeral' type holiday," he said. "Memorial Day is a celebration of life, although it is still a challenge for families who have lost someone."

He explains that Memorial Day is a day to memorialize the fallen by telling stories of that person's life, not just their death. He makes reference to the poem entitled "The Dash by Linda Ellis" and explains that the dash sums up a person's life - and that we should not be afraid to remember and celebrate a person's life, their "dash," on Memorial Day.