In America we believe life is precious. With God’s grace, life may last up to 100 years or more. Through the course of our Nation’s history, however, it has been necessary for American fighting men and women to lay down their lives in order for the rest of us to continue to live in freedom. Memorial Day is our opportunity to show we still believe life is precious and take time to honor lives lost.
At many Memorial Day ceremonies, most chairs are filled with veterans who served in America’s armed forces and, specifically, in armed conflict. If you ask one of the veterans who occupies a seat why they still pause to remember, they might tell you about their experiences and share some of their stories. They might tell you how they always attend a Memorial Day event so they can honor a fallen friend. The name of that friend would probably roll off their tongue like a home address from their childhood.
If their eyes are still dry, they might be able to tell you how they stay in touch with their fallen friend’s family, as a way of staying in touch with their lost friend. If the veteran can swallow the lump in his or her throat they might tell you about the heroism their friend displayed before a “golden BB” found its way to a vulnerable place on an airplane, helicopter or into their well-prepared foxhole. The veteran you meet might even speculate that if it hadn’t been for that friend, it would have been them instead. No doubt by this time, tears will be trickling and memories vivid. Surely they could tell you that fear not only has a smell, but it also has a taste as well.
Rest assured that if you’re fortunate enough to have a conversation like this; it will stay with you for the rest of your life. Stories like this are wonderful, albeit unfortunate, threads which weave the fabric of a free and patriotic country.
President Calvin Coolidge, our nation’s 30th President, once said, “The nation which forgets its Defenders will soon itself be forgotten.” President Coolidge’s words ring in my ears on a regular basis. I truly believe that honoring our military members, living and dead, must be a cornerstone of our country if it is to continue in prosperity.
So this weekend, put the hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill. Hook the battery back up to the boat and dust off the water skis. That’s the way Capt. Kevin Earnest, Maj. Kevin Jenrette, and hundreds of thousands like them, would have liked it. In between the preliminary summertime projects, please also take a moment to remember our fallen heroes on Memorial Day. We will always live on their shoulders and the sacrifices they have made. We should always honor them. They would have liked that, as well.
May God forever bless the families of our fallen heroes and may His hand always be upon this great Nation. Amen.
