Like most Americans, I will enjoy a day of vacation tomorrow. I have Pork Shoulder in my fridge, Mesquite in the bed of my truck, and will start “rolling smoke” early in the morning. In fact, as a teacher, my vacation is just starting. As a veteran, many friends will thank me for my service in conjunction with the celebration of Memorial Day. But, this is not my day. I always accept their compliments in the spirit given; however, we set aside Memorial Day to remember those who gave that last full measure, laying down their lives in service to their country. On Memorial Day I think of those men and women that I served with that never came home. They spilled their blood into the dirt of various places, never to enjoy the fruits of their sacrifice. I will enjoy a calm if windy, day here in Lubbock. I hope that their widows and orphans will enjoy some measure of peace and comfort on this day. I think of the country they sacrificed so much for.
What kind of country are we building? They poured out their lives for our future. Their sacrifice purchased you a future full of potential. Did they sacrifice in vain? Do we take the actions necessary to build a society and culture that lives up to the high ideals in our founding documents? The documents that lay out the vision of our Founding Fathers, and certain other luminaries that followed them, speak of a future pregnant with promise. They saw a country in which all citizens enjoyed inalienable rights. They envisioned a country that took care of its weakest members. They looked out and saw a land with unprecedented natural resources. So, what are we doing with their vision?
We inhabit a country founded with noble aspirations. During various moments and times, our country has shown exceptional courage and bravery. We’ve overcome significant challenges, physical and cultural. Today, we need to set aside our predilection for focusing solely on our own wants and consider the needs of others. We must address the gulf that separates the haves from the have-nots. We should not tolerate those kinds of laws that serve to estrange so many, consigning them to lives of hopeless ignorance and poverty. We must carefully steward this vast and beautiful land, a great gift from God, so that future generations will enjoy an environment of plenty and beauty. The pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness should not be the future of the well-to-do only. All of us should find success within our grasp. That is the kind of nation they bled and died for.
Tomorrow, when I fly my flag, I will think of those comrades who gave up their lives, in training as well as in conflict. I will purpose in my soul to seek out ways to forward their moral cause, the cause that animates this great experiment called the United States. I do not want their sacrifice, their bequest, to slip away into the morass of self-indulgent excess. That is not what they would want. Their honorable service will animate my efforts to forward the cause of liberty. That should be how I remember them.
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