Day 146 Remembering

5/26/2025

 "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the 

death of His saints."

Psalm 116:15

Memorial Day is a day to honor our military, those who selflessly gave their lives fighting to defend, preserve, and protect the freedom of our country. As we offer prayers of thanksgiving to God for His love and protection, we also pray for all who have experienced the loss of loved ones. When I remember all the wars over the years and all the blood that has been shed, my mind cannot grasp the horror of it. The observance of this day began after the Civil War when people placed flowers on graves, and it graduated to Memorial Day in 1971. Of course there is much more written about the origin of the observance and the many wars that have been fought on foreign soil. I pray that we never have to fight a war on American soil again.

It's been a relatively quiet day in my neighborhood today. Many times people get together, and charcoal grills are fired up, but today I have not detected any sense of burgers or fires. Someone was cutting the grass, it rained at short time, but then the sun came out, and the weather was cool and comfortable. I chased my wayward cat, Alex, around the yard in an attempt to comb tiny berries out of his fur before they become a tangled mess requiring me to cut chunks of fur out. That has been all the excitement I've noticed, and I am surprised, as generally there is much more activity.

Generally on this day I am invited to online events honoring our military, but again, I have not noticed any email notices. I've received emails, but I have not gotten invitations. I watched the movie Green Berets starring John Wayne, because it is one I can identify with. I remember when we had our high school reunion after my friends returned from Vietnam. The guys got together in a room and shared their experiences, and they taped it to share with everyone. I remember the demonstrations at the colleges in protest of that war, and I remember the way the returning veterans were treated. I think that's why I always enjoyed watching the Rambo movies, especially the second one about Vietnam. It gives me much to think about as does Green Berets. War is so savage and many innocent people have died as others tried to protect them from harm. Even now wars rage in foreign countries, most noticeably the wars between Israel and Hamas and between Russia and Ukraine. Even now as I am writing, alerts are going off in Israel, three in various areas within moments of each other. In Israel it is not even daybreak yet. 

I briefly watched the ceremony held at the Arlington National Cemetery attended by President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Both Vance and Hegseth have served active duty in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, so we honor them among those who are veterans and who are currently serving in active duty. For a brief period of time I served as a civilian employee at Fort Lee here in Prince George County, and I remember each day began with posting the flag and playing the National Anthem. Cars en-route to work would stop, and the drivers would disembark and pay homage to the flag with hand over the heart, soldiers saluting the flag, something I still do to honor my country.

The day is almost spent, and it's time to close the books for the day. May we never forget the sacrifice that others play in our lives. Most importantly we never can forget the freedom we received when Jesus ransomed our lives from death, and offered us the gift of eternal life and eternal freedom. May He be praised!