Conclusion of letter from President Abraham Lincoln
to Mrs. Lydia Bixby, a Boston widow, upon learning
five of her sons were Union soldiers killed in action.
November 21, 1864
Grace is timeless. It is also, I believe, innate. You are born with it or you are not. You may attain it. You may not obtain it.
Today, we pause to honor those men and women, full of grace, who have laid their lives as a sacrifice on the altar of freedom for this nation and for all of us. A sacrifice to which Abraham Lincoln paid a beautiful tribute more than a century and one-half ago. A sacrifice to which my son, Rob, paid a beautiful tribute a dozen years ago, which I have reproduced in its entirety below.
There is nothing I could write - or hope to write - to improve upon either man's message. Therefore, I shall not.
Just A Thought
I
started thinking in this time of war what this day means. It is for those who
didn't come back. They didn't come back to their mothers, their wives or their
kids. They stormed beaches, fought and died in foreign countries. All that
returned was a box and a folded flag.
I recently attended a Springsteen concert in North Carolina. I traveled by plane through this American land because I could, because I am free - and because of the generosity of some good friends. As Springsteen played a song called "Last to Die" I got emotional. The song asks, "Who'll be the last to die...." presumably in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It does not matter what you think of the American involvement in these wars. What does matter is that we remember these brave American servicemen and servicewomen.
Meanwhile I am enjoying a Springsteen concert, enjoying a beer and enjoying starting a career with the best government in the world; enjoying freedom. How can I do this? These are my brothers, my peers, guys my age fighting and dying. They volunteered so I didn't have to. They're not coming back to their favorite band, their favorite beer, their families or the state they grew up in.
Their children will not know their fathers. They will know only their sacrifice and some stories their mothers will tell. They sacrificed for someone they will never meet - you and me.
Remember them today.
-RJM
I recently attended a Springsteen concert in North Carolina. I traveled by plane through this American land because I could, because I am free - and because of the generosity of some good friends. As Springsteen played a song called "Last to Die" I got emotional. The song asks, "Who'll be the last to die...." presumably in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It does not matter what you think of the American involvement in these wars. What does matter is that we remember these brave American servicemen and servicewomen.
Meanwhile I am enjoying a Springsteen concert, enjoying a beer and enjoying starting a career with the best government in the world; enjoying freedom. How can I do this? These are my brothers, my peers, guys my age fighting and dying. They volunteered so I didn't have to. They're not coming back to their favorite band, their favorite beer, their families or the state they grew up in.
Their children will not know their fathers. They will know only their sacrifice and some stories their mothers will tell. They sacrificed for someone they will never meet - you and me.
Remember them today.
-RJM
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial
Photo Credit: Robert J. MacMaster
(c) 2014
-AK
Rob's words never fail to inspire and encourage reflection.
ReplyDeleteThanks (again) for sharing them.
Agreed 100%. I never tire of reading them, which is really my motivation for sharing them every year.
ReplyDelete