In Memoriam

Arlington Cemetary, Author Karakorhummel (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)

Monday we celebrate Memorial Day. The holiday was conceived to honor Civil War dead, but expanded over the decades to include all deaths during military service.

The solemn purpose of Memorial Day has not changed.  It is to preserve the memory of brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Each generation is charged anew with the protection of that freedom.  One generation passes the priceless baton on to the next.

Our soldiers, our sailors, our marines, our airmen we know have been faithful – from deserts to jungles, in air, on land and sea.  The question is are we?  Do we even give the men and women of our armed forces a second thought when the holiday rolls around again?  Or are we too busy picking up hamburger buns and charcoal briquettes, staking out sales?

The apparent scheme by certain Department of Veterans Affairs facilities to misrepresent patient wait times rather than do anything to reduce them suggests we have a long way to go.

Valley Forge, Iwo Jima, Khe Sanh, Kandahar.  The names echo down the corridors of history.  Too few Americans, however, recall their significance.

This is a precious legacy we have been given.  But we will not hold it long, if we do not recognize its value.

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim 2: 2-3).

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