Freedom is not Free
- Timothy Kernc
- May 23
- 2 min read
Updated: May 24
I think Americans sometimes forget the significance of Memorial Day. We focus on the joy of having the day off from work, maybe take in a movie, get together with family, do some yard work or gardening, or have a barbeque. Memorial Day should mean more to us.
Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day began as a grass roots movement after the Civil War to commemorate Union and Confederate soldiers who had died. It was established by General John A. Logan, the leader of the Union veterans’ organization GAR (Grand Army of the Republic). Logan issued General Order No. 11, calling for a day to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. President Ulysses S. Grant supported and attended the first large Memorial Day observance at Arlington National Cemetary in 1868. In 1971, President Richard Nixon established Memorial Day as a federal holiday on the last Monday in May.
As I wrote in my blog post last year, "Remembering their Sacrifice," the opening scene of Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” has always seemed to me to symbolize the true meaning of this U.S. holiday. The elderly man walking through the cemetery in France, whom we later learn is the Private Ryan of the title, epitomizes the way Americans should act on Memorial Day: remembering the fallen and solemnly paying tribute to those who gave their lives in service to our country.
Soldiers serving today should be honored and appreciated every day. (We have Veteran's Day in November specifically for that purpose.) But those who actually died in the line of duty, often times on battle fields in foreign lands, should be honored and commemorated with reverence and a grateful heart, especially on Memorial Day. To honor them in a small way, I’ve posted “Memorial Day Elegy” which you can watch on our Videos page.
If you’re looking for a way to foster the appropriate attitude on Memorial Day in yourself or your family, I also recommend the following YouTube videos or movies (below). But to really pay tribute... attend a parade featuring veterans or a ceremony at a cemetery where soldiers have been laid to rest. Maybe place a flag on one or more of the graves. It will stir your soul and raise the meaning of the last Monday in May for you.
On Memorial Day… let us always remember:
Freedom is not free.
YouTube videos:
Hymn to the Fallen - Musikkapelle Toblach (6 min 58 seconds)
Taking Chance. A Memorial Day Tribute (5 min 40 seconds)
Movies:
Saving Private Ryan (rated R for extreme violence)
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for your friends.
(John 15:13)
Nice!