“In order for a nation to achieve victory in combat, it requires something like a total surrender of its Soldiers. Every part of a combatant’s life, except that which belongs to God, must be consciously yielded over to the discretion of the state. Perhaps no one put it better than one soldier who fought in the trenches of the First World War:
‘All that we fear from all kinds of adversity, severally, is collected together in the life of a soldier on active service. Like sickness, it threatens pain and death. Like poverty, it threatens ill lodging, cold, heat, thirst and hunger. Like slavery, it threatens toil, humiliation, injustice, and arbitrary rule. Like exile, it separates you from all you love. Like the gullies, it imprisons you at close quarters with uncongenial companions.‘ (C. S. Lewis: “Why I am not a Pacifist” 1949)
After enduring some of life’s most disagreeable circumstances, our fallen service members never emerge in this life to enjoy the fruit of their service. They are surrounded by peril and misery for long periods until the end. In the midst of these overwhelming conditions Soldiers discipline themselves to access a component of human nature: a phenomenon we call Courage.. .
For these reasons I think Memorial Day deserves a notable place on our calendar and in our thoughts. No one deserves our honor more than those service members who surrendered their life for their country.”
Please stop and remember those that have given the last full measure for our country and the families they left behind.
Grateful for those who gave it all,
BG
