Today, 26 May 2014, is Memorial Day in the United States. For all too many the day will pass as just another long weekend to bring in the long days of Summer. For those who have been personally touched by war it will never be just another long weekend to enjoy. As it should be for all, today will forever be a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice on a battlefield in a distant land. As I sit in my office on Kandahar Air Field just outside of Kandahar, Afghanistan I find that my mind wanders to the memories of 24 Soldiers that I have personally been involved in their memorials in my career and the number of others that I have supervised. 19 of those 24 were killed while deployed to Iraq in 2004 - 2005. I refuse to allow their memories to be forgotten.
"Ode of Remembrance," from "For the
Fallen,"
by Laurence Binyon
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will
remember them.
Matthew 5:4 says, “Blessed are those
who mourn. They will be comforted.”
Memorial Day for many of us will never
be the same because at some time in the last 13 years of war or in wars
previous a family member or a friend was killed in combat defending the country
they loved. There are very few of us
that have not been personally impacted by the death of a loved one or a friend.
Because
of the death of a loved one or a friend Memorial Day is a day filled with mixed
emotions. Our emotions are impacted by
the memories of Memorial Days of years gone by where we spent time bringing in
the summer days on a long weekend with family and friends. Those memories are now impacted by the memory
of the death of someone close to us on a battlefield somewhere defending the
country we all love.
We each deal with our emotions in
our own way some will do it openly others privately. They will allow themselves to feel, to hurt,
to grieve. They will laugh and they will cry.
They will at times sit quietly and remember and at other times they will
share those memories.
It is events like this one today
where we find strength and comfort in the loss of that individual as we gather
with family and friends or even strangers for a moment to give honor to those
who paid the ultimate price for the freedom of others. We grieve as individuals and as a country for
the loss of that friend or family member alongside one another. It is not whether we knew the person that was
killed it is the point of giving honor and sharing for a moment in the
pain.
It
is in allowing ourselves to feel whatever the emotions may be that we find the
comfort we need. We find the strength in
people gathering to remember that today is not just another holiday but it is a
day set aside to give honor to those who stood up and said I will not allow
evil to prevail. I will do my part to
bring good into this world. It is why
each of us are standing here in Afghanistan because we are willing to say not
on my watch will evil prevail. So today
is not just a holiday but a holy day, not in that is has spiritual significance,
but in the fact that it is a day set aside to bring honor to those who gave
all.
Today
is not just about feeling the emotions and grieving to be comforted but it is a
day to honor all who have stood on that battlefield and said not on my
watch. The fear of many Gold Star
Families is that their family member will be forgotten by the world. That the world will not remember the
sacrifice paid by their family member on a battlefield for the freedoms we
enjoy.
As
much as we have said we will not allow evil to prevail on our watch. We also need to say that we will not let
those who sacrificed all to be forgotten on our watch. Romans 13:7 says “Pay everyone whatever you
owe them. If you owe someone respect,
respect that person. If you owe them
honor, honor that person.”
We
owe those killed in combat and their Gold Star Families respect and honor. We must do our part to show that honor and
not allow these individuals to be forgotten.
We do this by sharing the stories of the individuals who paid the
ultimate price. The fallen may be gone
but let us not allow them ever to be forgotten. For in giving honor where honor
is due we then provide comfort for the grief.
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