NT! As a veteran, and someone who loves this country very much, Memorial Day is pretty close to being sacred to me, as I think of all who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms.
Every Memorial Day, one Bible verse stands out to me as expressing what this day means. John 15:13 (KJV), which says, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
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Source link - tinyurl.com/y8z26r6t
If you ask a young man or woman today if they love the people they're around all the time, you may get some funny looks, or some flippant remark in answer.
But, if you ask someone in the military that question, there may be a slightly awkward silence at first, but then a quiet "Yes." in response. Especially if they've been in harms way.
That applies to police officers and firefighters as well, btw.
There's a shared bond of brother or sisterhood that many don't understand that permeates throughout the services, gained through shared experiences, training, hardship, pain and achievement.
I never saw combat, having served in the mid-70's, after the Viet Nam War, and before the wars that followed. I served during the Cold War, far from any field of battle.
But, my main job in the Navy was as a fire fighter and damage control repair specialist. I worked very hard to make myself into the number one guy you wanted manning a fire hose in case of a fire.
I took fire drills seriously, and was aggressive in the actions I took, and before I left my ship, I was recognized as the number one fire fighter on board. I was very proud of that, and still am.
Why did I work so hard? What was my motivation? I didn't get any extra pay out of it, so what was it? There were no abstract "For Flag and Country" ideals that drove me.
It was because of my shipmates. I wanted to be able to keep them safe, keep them alive, in case a real shooting war did break out, and we went into the line of fire. I wanted to be ready.
It was because I loved those guys, although I really didn't realize that until years later. If you asked me then if I loved them, I would have thought you were crazy. But not now.
Although I didn't realize it at the time, I loved those guys, and was willing to lay down my life if necessary to keep them alive.
As you go about your routine today and tomorrow, please take some time to contemplate what sacrifices our men and women in uniform have made to protect our freedoms ... and their buddies,
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
