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BY COL. STEPHEN T. MESSENGER
Commander, Fort McCoy Garrison
Memorial Day evokes a wide range of emotions across our nation. Many consider this holiday to be the unofficial beginning of summer. The grill comes out, the lawn games appear, and the fun begins.
Here in Wisconsin, I haven’t met a group of people who love taking full advantage of the limited summer window as much as here. I’m dodging RVs and boat trailers now everywhere I go!
Some wake up on Monday and complete the Murph workout, a CrossFit Memorial Day staple, in honor of our fallen. Others have to work and barely consider Memorial Day different from any other day.
Unfortunately, life sometimes has a way to overshadow remembering the incredible sacrifice our military has made to keep this Nation’s freedoms intact.
But to many, this day is full of reflecting on ancestors and loved ones that fought and died so valiantly to secure and preserve the freedoms we enjoy.
If you look closely, there are families and friends spending today in deep sadness and sorrow, staring at the gold star hanging in their window or a living room portrait of their fallen warrior.
These reminders are of loved ones who never returned home from war, or of a friend who may have died heroically, giving their own life. Many others proudly remember their ancestors who served and perished, defending our Nation and our world from injustice and tyranny.
At 22 years old, Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham was on a convoy in Husaybah, Iraq, in 2004. After hearing small arms fire in the city and moving his squad towards the sound of the guns, an insurgent attacked him, resulting in a hand-to-hand struggle.
During the fight, Corporal Dunham saw the insurgent release a grenade that endangered his fellow Marines. He first warned his squad and then covered the grenade with his helmet and body, saving the lives of at least two of his friends; he made the ultimate sacrifice.
In his posthumous Medal of Honor ceremony, President George W. Bush stated that Corporal Dunham “gave his own life so that others may live.” What a profound statement.
America has seen over 1.1 million combat deaths, from the Revolutionary War to the War in Afghanistan. Each one of these service members embody President Bush’s statement in his remarks — they died so that we may live.
A few years ago, I walked the battlefield at Gettysburg and stood where Col. Joshua Chamberlin from the 20th Maine Union Army gave the order to fix bayonets and charge downhill against an attacking Confederate Army. His heroic leadership, while resulting in the death of some of his men, helped save the battle and keep our nation united. Shortly after that, I walked the Gettysburg National Cemetery where this single plot of land hosts the final resting place of heroes who died, beginning in that battle and every war since.
It’s sobering to walk hallowed grounds such as these. Markers are everywhere, each representing the death and casualties of men and women who fell in battle.
Each one represents the ultimate sacrifice — it is humbling to think that they were willing to die on our behalf, and many are still willing today.
We must never forget this sacrifice. Every year, less and less Americans are connected to military service.
Over the past two decades, the number of veterans in the United States declined by one-third to 18 million service members. That makes up only 7 percent of the adult population.
Military service no longer permeates into every community and town as during draft years, and today’s military instead comprises family heritage and individual military decisions. Every year, America becomes less connected to this sacred holiday.
Thankfully, we live in a nation that still honors our heroes. From first responders to COVID medical personnel to essential workers, America recognizes selfless service.
And no act is greater than dying to save others. While Corporal Dunham laid down his life for his squad, he also laid down his life for us. He died, so that we may live.
Abraham Lincoln affirmed the importance of sacrificial nature in the Gettysburg Address: “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.” The world needs American sacrifice — since 1775 it always has, and always will.
It’s perfectly fine to enjoy Memorial Day Weekend with friends and family.
In fact, we honor those who died for our freedoms by enjoying what they have provided.
But at the same time, we must never forget the sacrifice.
Thank you for taking time this weekend to remember and honor the fallen.
| Date Taken: | 05.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.23.2024 23:30 |
| Story ID: | 472207 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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