Bryan Strawser

It is not that these men are dead, but that they have so died…that they offered themselves willingly to death in a cause vital and dear to humanity; and what is more, a cause they comprehended as such, and looking at it, in all its bearings and its consequences, solemnly pledged to it all that they had and were…. This comprehension of the cause, his intelligent devotion, this deliberate dedication of themselves to duty, these deaths suffered in testimony of their loyalty, faith and love, make these men worthy of honor today, and these deaths equal to the lauded deaths of martyrs. Not merely that the cause was worthy but that they were worthy…. God grant to us that lesson of devotion and loyalty be not lost….

They gave their best for something held dearer than joy, something of good beyond their personal experience; the giving of which, in this world’s estimation, is of such cost that it cannot be justified by your understanding but only in your overpassing faith.

We do not live for self…. We are a part of a larger life, reaching before and after, judged not by deeds done in the body but deeds done in the soul. We wish to be remembered. Willing to die, we are not willing to be forgotten.

- Major General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 20th Maine, Memorial Day 1884, Brunswick, Maine

Cox & Forkum have a great editorial cartoon and column up about Memorial Day:

In the sloppy terminology so typical of today, it is common to attribute the courage of our soldiers to “self-sacrifice.” But this misses the enormous difference between our soldiers and the malevolent fanatics on the other side, who declare that they want to die because they “love death.” American soldiers do not go into battle because they love death. They go into battle because they love freedom. They love the liberties we enjoy and the prosperous and benevolent society that these liberties make possible. And they realize that someone has to fight to defend all of this.

Our soldiers do not want to die, and they do not expect to die; they know they are far better trained and better armed than their adversaries. But they know that some of them will die, and they believe that freedom is worth that risk. Here is how the family of Petty Officer 1st Class Neil Roberts, the first American soldier to die in Operation Anaconda, expressed it: “He made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that everyone who calls himself or herself an American truly has all the privileges of living in the greatest country in the world.”

Smash, the Indepundit, also has a great post up about Memorial Day and his “Flags In” experience with the local Boy Scouts, something I did for many years in and around my hometown of Covington, Indiana.

Although he states in this beginning that this is not a deep posting, it is. Lex writes about Memorial Day:

They stand there still in the certain knowledge, gained now not through the musty reminiscences of scarred and hoary elders, but in testimony woven into the daily fabric of their everyday existence, that having cleared their throats and raised their voices and answered the question, “Who will stand for us?” with a firm, “I will,” that this could happen.

They did this because collectively we asked them to. All of us, even those who said, “Not in my name.”

Yes - in your name too. They did it for you.

These are their lives and this is our loss. Futures that will not now happen. Stories that remain incomplete. Not for today the debate about why or whether. For today, we must merely acknowledge their sacrifice, and the debt that we cannot repay. And give thanks to those who agreed to stand for us.

And maybe just this weekend, even if just for today - let us say their names.

Another post from Lex worth reading this Memorial Day: The Empty Chair.

It’s Race Day for the Indianapolis 500 - the traditional Sunday before Memorial Day date.

I’m cheering for these guys: