Memorial Day
This is a picture from one of the columbariums at the Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of many of those who served the United States since the middle of the 19th century.
That is my Father’s marker. He didn’t know those located around his marker, but they all shared service to their country as part of their life.
The country continues to ask for service and people still respond to that call. As you think about the sacrifices represented by Arlington and other cemeteries, ask yourself if you have done what you could to prevent misuse of the willingness of some to serve.
It is rather for us the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us–that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion–that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
[Originally posted Memorial Day, 2005]
7 comments
The Highest Priorities…
What do you think are the most important and immediate issues facing America today? Terrorism? Iraq? Global warming? Port security? The budget deficit? The lagging economy? Crumbling schools?
Those are pretty pressing issues, and if you th …….
Memorial Day…
In a perfect world there would be no need to remember fallen soldiers.
But this isn’t a perfect world by any means, and so we must honor them; it is our duty, just as they saw their duty to serve.
Bryan at Why Now? pays a tribute that speaks volu …..
Sadly, this image is what happens when the Bushies declare “we’ll be greeted with flowers”.
A peaceful Memorial Day to you & yours, Bryan – and thanks for your service.
Bryan, my heartfelt thanks to you and to your father for your service. May he rest in peace; may you have… may all of us still living have… the opportunity to live in peace.
Peace is all you need when you wear the uniform. It was always nice when you could hold the parties for local children or fly in to help people after a disaster.
We also visited the memorial grave of Lt Charles D. (my husband’s namesake) killed in the war in 1945. And his mother and grandmother are there also – he visited this site every Memorial Day as a child – and we keep up the tradition by bringing our girls.
You can’t really die until no one remembers you lived.