May 27, 2019 (Monday)
Today is MEMORIAL DAY, set aside to remember with reverence those who have died in the service of their country.
I think the words of Abraham Lincoln are appropriate as we honor this host of men and women who gave their all.
At Gettysburg, before the end of the Civil War, Lincoln said, “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, under God, 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.”
On November 11 we will honor all veterans. It is impossible, however, to do that without thinking of those who died. It is altogether fitting and proper to remember with honor all those who have served, living or dead.
From the beginning, Americans have been willing to die for their country. Signalling a noble revolution, our representatives wrote the Declaration of Independence, in which they said: “We .. solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, .. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
All around the world are the graves of those who have given “their last full measure of devotion” for us. Today grateful people decorate those American burial places with flowers and flags, ever thankful to be alive and free.
