Each May we observe Memorial Day to honor the men and women who gave all in defense of our freedom. As Americans, we know that freedom is not free. So many of us live our lives with the expectation that we can move about without restrictions, talk about whatever we’d like and associate with whomever we wish. And because we are Americans, we can. We expect to exercise our freedoms because of our birthright, so much so that we often take for granted the sacrifices that occurred to maintain these liberties for future generations. There are millions of people around the world who do not share this expectation of freedom in their own countries.
That is what we paused to remember this week. We should always be mindful, however, and remember throughout the year the heroes who died while wearing the uniform of our great nation. We honor their memories, grieve alongside their families and thank God that they were willing to stand in the gap to defend our nation, interests and freedoms.
President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."
The men and women who perished in the line of military duty embody the meaning of this quote. They realized that without their service, American freedom was not guaranteed to be passed down to the next generation. They knew the risks, and then they paid the price. And because of their heroism and devotion to this noblest of ideals, new generations walk in freedom.
These sacrifices are exactly what make the United States different from many nations throughout history. While there are a number of governments that coerce their citizens into fighting – and dying – for their countries, the men and women who fight for America do so willingly. No one forces an American service member to serve his or her country, and that’s what makes these sacrifices so significant and meaningful.
So, as we close out May, let us resolve to remember those who have paid the ultimate price so that our posterity would walk in the sunlight of freedom. As President Abraham Lincoln so eloquently said in the Gettysburg Address, “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they 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.”
