Remembering Those Who Gave All

Known originally as Decoration Day, what we now call Memorial Day originates from the late 1860’s when the various states at the time made their own formal observances and commemorations of the fallen soldiers from the Civil War. The northern states and the southern states all had their own kind of Decoration Days, but generally speaking they occurred near the end of May beginning shortly after the war ended in 1865. The term Memorial Day wasn’t the common term until after World War II, and it wasn’t until 1971 that it was federally 

Dalton Shotwell

formalized as the official singular holiday that we recognize today on the last Monday of each May. While the dates and ways of commemorating our fallen soldiers have evolved over the years, the need to remember and honor their sacrifices for those still living has been a consistent pulse of the American heartbeat since our inception as a nation.

Alright, the history lesson portion is over — but I felt it was important to summarize. Personally I didn’t know any of that stuff until I looked into it. Though I was unfamiliar with the historical origins of Memorial Day, I’ve always had a place in my heart for it since I began to understand what a veteran truly is and why the sacrifices of our fallen soldiers over the years are so very important to remember and honor. I had the opportunity to write an editorial for my local newspaper for Memorial Day when I was 19 years old, and I’m honored to be able to do it again now for you. 

I’ll never forget the time Jenny and I visited Washington D.C. in 2008. The World War II memorial had just opened to the public four years prior in 2004. When Jenny and I walked nearer to the beautiful memorial that sits at the end of a long and solemn reflecting pool and underneath the watchful obelisk of the Washington Monument, I remember feeling a certain hushing sensation not unlike when walking into a large cathedral. One can’t help but feel deeply the immense respect commanded by the many names and quotes etched into the nearly 17,000 perfectly cut granite slabs that compose the memorial in the shape of a large oval. I remember seeing an older gentleman leaning weakly against one of the pillars with one hand as he wept into a handkerchief with the other, and how his family stood around him laying hands of support on his shoulders without saying a word. What words could one offer at that moment? From my candid viewpoint I felt both deeply grateful and deeply sad. What cost he paid I’ll never know, but I could see that it was great. And he was there to honor the even greater costs paid by those who remained deep in his own memories. 

On D-Day, June 6, 1944, President Roosevelt broadcast a prayer to the nation as the many thousands of troops prepared to offer their lives to the cause of liberation. They are some of the most beautifully written words I’ve ever encountered, and a portion of it goes as follows:

“They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest -- until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home. 

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. And for us at home — fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas — whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them -- help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.”

So much of Roosevelt’s prayer mirrors what Christ Himself endeavored to do for our entire world. Christ came to expel the forces of darkness and liberate all mankind from the clutches of eternal death. He knew the battle would be costly, particularly for Him, but that it must be encountered — that there was no other option. For the people of the world in 1944, there also appeared to be no other option. The battle had to be fought, and it would cost dearly. I can’t help but consider in humbling awe how so many men and women rose up and met a more earthly but similar calling to liberate so many others during those dark days of the early 1940’s. The parallels are many.

“They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people.” 
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Jesus wanted the nations to cooperate and live harmoniously, and though war seems to work directly against Christ’s hope for us, I believe President Roosevelt was correct in his assessment. Even though soldiers are uniquely geared up and trained for warfare, the mission during this period of time was exactly as Roosevelt described it -- war, but only to end war. And it reminds me of Christ, who willingly traversed death in order to liberate our souls from it. We will still traverse the threshold of death ourselves at some point, but Christ’s open arms are waiting for us on the other side. This is the victory He won for all mankind -- and we’ve remembered Him for 2,000 years for it. And may we remember Him until His return. 

On our own flawed and earthly scale, I feel it is also important to honor and remember those Americans over the years who endeavored to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of humanity. I believe that through their selfless actions they honored Christ in their sacrifices for us who live today. War is always to be avoided, but through their humble sacrifices and love for future generations whom they would never meet, we are a little closer to that seemingly distant harmonious world today. One day of the year to remember those who gave all is the least we can give to honor their memory and sacrifice. Let us always remember to honor them, and may they find peace and rest in the healing hands of Jesus forevermore. 

Thank you to our veterans and to those who gave all. Happy Memorial Day.

Dalton ​