The Fallen
On this long weekend above all
others, most Americans gather to enjoy the start of summer, shrugging off the
last effects of winter and breaking out the BBQ grills and summer toys. Many do
thank service members on this day…mistakenly and good naturedly.
For those whom served this is
hopefully meet with grace, regardless of what your feelings might be… for this
is not our day. It is reserved for our brother and sisters that sacrificed all.
For their families, who know the pain of promises lost and uncertain futures.
For us, we veterans; this day of
remembrance is bittersweet…of the hardships shared and the camaraderie that is
found nowhere else in human existence.
We have the same questions, with no easy answers; as the families and
those feelings are often compounded by the guilt of survival.
What all of us must keep foremost
in our thoughts is this…our friends and family members, those brave warriors who
gave their all, did so freely and without remorse or hesitation. For God and
country? Perhaps in part but mostly for those whom stood beside them united in
the ideal of right over wrong and the certainty that those basic freedoms must
be protected and safeguarded from those who would do it harm.
On this day, I thank their
families. The children most especially, who will grow up without fathers and
mothers. Please know that their sacrifice was not in vain and that the world is
both safer and richer for having had them in it.
I would ask that on this day, we
each honor that by extending a helping hand to those families still struggling
with such monumental loss, remembering that our freedoms are rights earned thru
sacrifice, not inalienable privilege.
For myself, I am honored to have
served amongst them.
