THOUGHTS ON MEMORIAL DAY

 

Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, 2023

 

John 15:13

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

 

THOUGHTS ON MEMORIAL DAY

          Why does it seem we mark each generation with a war? My grandfather fought in WWI. I remember his old “flat” army helmet he brought home from the trenches in France. There was a dent in it that corresponded to a dent in his forehead. A machine-gun bullet caused him to have some paralysis to his tongue.

 

          My Father suffered a back injury as a child that kept him out of the military in WWII, but it did not keep him from serving. He worked/served at Oak Ridge, Tennessee building the atomic bomb. He did not know just what he was building until the loudspeaker stopped production and asked the workers to sit down for a special announcement. Then they knew, and daddy cried. He cried for the unknown souls that were killed with an instrument that he helped to build. He cried because the war would soon be over. He cried because his work was done at Oak Ridge, and he could soon move his family and find a real job.

 

          The Korean War began when I was only four years old. I think I had an uncle who served. I have had many friends who did.

 

          Viet Nam found me enrolled in seminary, but I had a dear friend who saw action there. For years I thought my friend had died in combat but within the last few years I learned he is alive and well. What a joy it was to speak with him on the phone and then visit him at his home in Iowa.

          Iraq and Afghanistan seem to linger on and on. We were weary of it and so instead of winning we simply left. It will take more years to learn whether it made any difference.

 

Matt 5:2

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

 

Dear Lord, bless those families who mourn today. Comfort them and give them strong consolation. Give to this nation firm and compassionate leadership. Preserve us by your grace. AMEN