There is something deeply humbling about the one who is not only willing to give their life for another human being, but then does. They did not know on a "last phone call" or the "I'll see you see you soon." would not be as they had anticipated.
For the soldier, situational awareness can be the difference between life and death. Even then, the unexpected happens. It often comes with a choice.
The phrase "no man left behind" is often associated with the U.S. Marines, but it really has roots that go all the way back to the Revolutionary War where everyone was considered important, including the musicians. There were no troops to spare. The Marines were the first to include it in 1889 landing party rules. It stated, “No man shall be left behind on account of darkness or the advanced hour of the night.”
A Great Jubilee Day, first held on Monday, May 26, 1783, in North Stratford, now Trumbull, Connecticut, commemorated the end of fighting in the American Revolutionary War. The Rev. James Beebe's son was a Captain with George Washington at Valley Forge.
May 30, 1868, is the first record of a national "Memorial Day" declaration, but it was called "Decoration Day." The country was still united in name, but divided in the hearts of those who had lost so much and so much during the "The War Between the States" that we now call the Civil War. The South set their own days, as did many communities across the nation. It took 100 years for it to become Memorial Day as we know it today.
"Decoration Day," the name "Memorial Day" was first used in 1882. It grew in popularity after World War II and was legally declared the official name by federal law in 1967. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the federal legislation that officially changed the holiday's name from Decoration Day to Memorial Day, cementing it as a national day of remembrance.
It is a day to remember the lives, the loss, and the time it takes to heal after war. The empty seat at the table is real. It is a reminder that freedom is not free.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." -John 15:13
That is the ultimate in human love.
Today, I am grateful for a pause to remember and honor.
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