Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:3)Today is Memorial Day, the day of the year when we remember the sacrifices that those in the armed forces made for us.
It brings to mind a lot of things. One is the fact that so many have died and sacrificed their own lives, the lives of their future children and generations on the battlefield so that I could remain free.
Somebody said, “People are free to sleep soundly in their beds because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf to keep them safe.” Some say that was George Orwell, some Winston Churchill, some Rudyard Kipling. Whoever it was was right. We are safe in how we live because someone a some time killed someone else who was bent on taking our freedom.
I love the bumper sticker that says, “If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you read it in English, thank a soldier.” Those who have defended us gave us the ability to keep our cultures. I suppose that is one reason it burns me so much when I see dishonest portrayals of soldiers made by Hollywood who is trying to tear them down.
"Dances with Wolves" was a good movie with a good story. However, I never really liked it because of its portrayal of the American soldier. All of the soldiers portrayed in it except for Lt Dunbar who defected to the Indians were portrayed as thug-like or weak or crazy. Having been a soldier I dislike that portrayal. Yes there were some, just as there are dishonest and greedy preachers, or dishonest accountants, or thieving secretaries or ignorant teachers. But they are not the norm and do not deserve to have a whole movie built around them.
The same went for Avatar and its oblique portrayal of America.
I did not go overseas to fight but I would have. I did not lay my life on the line, but I would have. I suppose that I did by allowing myself to be taken into the army. By so doing I gave myself to the will of the military to use me wherever needed.
And I am glad I did. Guys my age who didn’t go into the army always have a hundred excuses why – bad ears or flat feet or something.
I had terrible flat feet but didn’t have medical documentation so it didn’t matter. And I am glad I didn’t. At the time, if I had known, I probably would have gone to the doctor and gotten one and gotten out of the army completely.
And for the rest of my life, with the inferiority complex I have, I would have had to explain why. So I didn’t (even if by accident) and went in and came out and Memorial Day, in a very small part and way, is about honoring people like me, just guys who went in when called, whether they wanted to or not. Just ordinary citizen/soldiers.
And they served and gave up two, three, four, six years of their lives in defense and honor of their country.
It is a good day. And I honor our soldiers.
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