A Memorial Day Note

“The legacy of brave men and women who have fought and died for their country is the freedom we enjoy as Americans.” – Lucian Adams

Memorial Day is an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May each year. On this day we remember and honor the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. military. The roots of this holiday go back to Decoration Day, which commemorated the service of Union Civil War soldiers. It was expanded over time to include all U.S. military everywhere. The name Memorial Day was nationally recognized in 1967. Congress made the day a national holiday in 1971.

Military service has never been a part of my experience. My Draft Registration Card arrived with the designation 1-H, which suggested that I would be prime material to serve, but wasn’t needed at the time. Within a couple of months, the Vietnam War ended. I was never re-classified. There have been relatives and friends of mine who served in the Army, Navy and Marine Corp from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. Through their stories I have some perspective of the difficulties and tragedy of war. It seems to me that C.S. Lewis sums up the military life in his 1940s Oxford speech “Why I Am Not a Pacifist”.

“For let us make no mistake. All that we fear from all the kinds of adversity, severally, is collected together in the life of a soldier on active service. Like sickness, it threatens pain and death. Like poverty, it threatens ill lodging, cold, heat, thirst, and hunger. Like slavery, it threatens toil, humiliation, injustice, and arbitrary rule. Like exile, it separates you from all you love. Like the gallies, it imprisons you at close quarters with uncongenial companions. It threatens every temporal evil—every evil except dishonour and final perdition, and those who bear it like it no better than you would like it.”

The National Moment of Remembrance act established in 2000 encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a moment of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. The legislation says, “The relevance of Memorial Day must be made more apparent to present and future generations of people of the United States through local and national observances and ongoing activities.”

Much time has gone by for me and some of the voices I heard early in life are now gone. Still, I have seen footage of war, news of war and heard the stories of veterans of war. My appreciation for what they have done for us is greater, not less with the passing of time. It seems like honoring the service members who have died also gives honor to those who survive and serve now.

Enjoy your Memorial Day picnic or events, but join me in being intentional about taking a moment to reflect on the those who have given their lives defending and ensuring the freedom we have in America.

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