Fort McCoy community gathers for Memorial Day Prayer Luncheon

Photo By Aimee Malone | Chaplain (Maj.) Robert Rand with the garrison Religious Support Office speaks to community members at the Memorial Day Prayer Luncheon on May 27, 2021, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The Religious Support Office organizes prayer lunches for both Memorial Day and Labor Day each year. (U.S. Army photo by Aimee Malone; Public Affairs Office; Fort McCoy, Wis.)  

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

06.10.2021

Story by Aimee Malone 

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

Fort McCoy community members gathered May 27 ahead of Memorial Day weekend for the Religious Support Office’s Memorial Day Prayer Luncheon.

The guest speaker was the Rev. Randy Brandt, a retired chaplain and colonel with the U.S. Army.

Brandt reminded the audience to enjoy the picnics and barbecues during the upcoming holiday weekend but to also remember the importance of memorials, both on the holiday and throughout the year.

The people of Wisconsin understand the importance of memorials to remember the past and honor America’s veterans and fallen, Brand said.

“We choose to honor them,” he said. “We make a conscious effort to not forget the cost of a free and undivided republic. But I think there’s something that often gets overlooked — or underlooked, maybe — and that … is a spiritual dynamic to what memorials are all about.”

Brandt said that as a Christian, he believes God approves of memorials and honoring the sacrifices of both the dead and the living. He gave several examples of memorials mentioned in the Bible, finishing with the Ebenezer stone, which Samuel put up as a symbol of God’s assistance to the nation of Israel against the Philistines.

“I think the point of the passage is to say that it’s good and right to memorialize those who have fought in a battle, those who have died and sacrificed, but it’s also good to remember the living,” Brandt said. “Memorials aren’t just for the dead; they’re for us, as well.”

Brandt went on to say that memorials didn’t have to be a big event or monument but could instead be small and highly personal. He showed an example: a collage his daughter had made while he was deployed that happened to include a picture of him and two other chaplains, though he wasn’t recognizable in the picture. He said it was a reminder to him that God was there both for him and for his family back home.

“I love the idea of an Ebenezer stone, a very visible and constant reminder that there’s a god who knows me, a god who loves me and carries me through my darkest times,” Brandt said.

Prayers for military families and service members, police, firefighters, leaders, and the United States were conducted by Chaplain (Capt.) Eric Clark with the Army Reserve, Chaplain Jef Skinner with the Sparta (Wis.) Police Department, and Army veteran Benjamin Hockman. Chaplain (Maj.) Amy Noble with the 88th Readiness Division and Chaplain (Maj.) Wyne Hutchings with the 181st Multifunctional Training Brigade gave the invocation and benediction. Michelle Jones, chapel pianist, provided music for the event.

• Date Taken: 06.10.2021
• Date Posted: 06.10.2021 14:31
• Story ID: 398605
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US