Monday, Americans across the world will pause throughout the day to observe Memorial Day. This is a day for honoring, remembering and celebrating America’s departed soldiers, sailors, Marines and Air Force members. Truly, this is a time to look back with gratefulness and bring briefly to living memory the fallen heroes of our country whose service and sacrifice have kept America safe and free.
Distinct from Veterans Day in November, during which we celebrate our living veterans — those who have, and still do, place themselves in harm’s way to ensure we are able to enjoy the freedoms we cherish — we reserve Memorial Day as an annual pause to commemorate our honored fallen.
As Abraham Lincoln observed at Gettysburg: “From these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion ... that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people ... should not perish from this earth.”
More than a million American service members have died in the wars and conflicts of our nation since the first colonial soldiers took up arms in 1775 to fight for independence. Each person who died during those conflicts was a loved one, cherished by family and friends. Each was a loss to their community and to the nation.
Today we pay special tribute to more than 5,000 service members who made the ultimate sacrifice while supporting the global war on terrorism. Of those fallen, 39 were members of the Georgia National Guard. These were men we knew, respected and cared for.
I recently attended the “Some Gave All” 5K road race in Lula. This race was organized in memory of Maj. Kevin M. Jenrette, a Georgia Guardsman who was killed in action on June 4, 2009, in Afghanistan. The outpouring of support and love from family, community and friends at the event stands as a stark reminder that our fallen live on in the freedoms enjoyed by those they leave behind.
As we reflect on Memorial Day, I encourage you to ask yourself a couple of fundamental questions: What is it that inspires and enables ordinary citizens to rise to the challenge of battle — to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country?
In my opinion, the answer is simple: values.
The proud legacy of our Army, and of our country, is grounded in core values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
During our recent deployment to Afghanistan, the 48th Infantry Brigade lost eight brave soldiers on the field of battle. I had the honor of knowing several of them and commanding four of them. These eight heroes embodied those values. These brave citizen-soldiers — and all of America’s fallen — made the conscious choice to serve their state and nation, knowing full well the possible costs associated with their service.
The lives of our 39 fallen Georgia Guardsmen — and the thousands of other men and women who have died to bring stability to the Middle East — were not sacrificed in vain. Though the wars are not yet over, the people of Afghanistan and Iraq have been freed from the oppression of tyrant regimes, bringing more stability to the region and improved security to our own homeland.
Our fallen knew that freedom must be protected, and that, in the absence of fervent defense, freedom is perishable. Because of our soldiers’ service and sacrifice, our great nation has proudly secured liberty for a substantial share of the world’s population, and defended it for much of the rest.
I would ask that, over the next few days, as you reflect on our fallen heroes, you take a moment to think, too, of Gold Star Families — those who have lost loved ones in the defense of our country. Memorial Day has an inexplicably profound impact on those with empty seats at the dinner table. This is one aspect of the holiday that means more to me now than in years past.
People often say “freedom isn’t free,” and they are correct. But, sometimes, it takes personal experience to understand exactly just how high the cost of freedom really is. A more accurate description would simply be: “priceless.”
This weekend, we remember and pay respect to those who made the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedoms. These heroes believed in a cause greater than themselves, a cause that constitutes their permanent legacy — freedom.
We will never forget their sacrifice.
Lt. Col. Randall Simmons is executive officer of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
