As long as there are evil and good there will be war. As long as there are selfishness and sacrifice there will be conflict. As long as there are rage and greed there will be the oppression of the defenseless. As long as there are honor and valor there will be the defense of the weak by the strong. I am unspeakably grateful to be one who has benefited from the historical sacrifice of men and women who have risked it, who have fought, who have been endangered and who have given the full sacrifice for our nation and its historical values. I’m thankful for those with steel in their spines, guns in their hands and commitment in their hearts. Most of them gave it all before they ever fired their first weapon at the enemy or stepped on to the first grain of foreign soil to ensure that the enemy never steps his foot onto our soil. Our military men and women gave it all when they committed themselves, not when they gave their lives in battle. Today we remember those who, like our Sacrificial King, paid the ultimate price when they gave up their lives. We also remember all of you who were willing to do so in battle but, by God’s plan, you were not appointed to do so. For those who have lived in a country which was brought to pass with blood and made to last with the same, we pause to tell you thanks. The words ‘Thank You’ are not sufficient in and of themselves but our appreciation of those who fought for us means little without them.
Grateful. Impacted. Remembering.
“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” – 1 John 3:16-18 {ESV}
I believe I will continue to seek out veterans who survived to simply listen to their stories. I got that privilege this weekend and it made their sacrifices, and those of their brothers, even more real to me. They need to be heard and honored. I do not have their kind of courage.