Joel Hendon

Lest We Forget What Memorial Day Really Means


Posted: Monday, May 30, 2011

by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html

The American people have enjoyed so many years bountifully blessed by our Lord and many have not been touched personally with a tragic loss from war. There are also many who have not personally served or even had a close family member serve in the military services. For those fortunate ones, Memorial Day may seem just like a day dedicated to our armed services. But, it is much deeper than that.

Statistics often just appear as a list of numbers, but if our war death statistics can only be considered seriously, each single one represents a dead American, overwhelmingly young, overwhelmingly male (not intending too infer that the older ones and the females were not as important or their lives not as precious, but simply to show the primary count). Their immediate families were diverse in every way. Some from affluent homes, some from very poor homes, and all between those extremes. Virtually every one had someone who wept upon hearing of their deaths. If you look at our statistical figures dating from 1775 to this very date, it is difficult to hold back the tears when you consider each one was just some good old boy/girl who did not wish to die, but yet, was willing if that was what it took.

Our accumulated battle deaths in wars, according to one source, amounts to approximately 621,000. Some of the older records are not complete and are, in some cases, estimated. But nevertheless, you can be assured that over one half million have died in battle. This does not account for the maimed and wounded, nor the literal millions of innocent civilians who died in those same wars.

Ronald Reagan made one of the most impressive statements at a Memorial Day ceremony while he was president. Readers may have already seen it but for those who have not, I again post it here:

"It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray-haired. But most of them were boys when they died, they gave up two lives -- the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for their country, for us. All we can do is remember." (President Ronald Reagan)

While you are reading and contemplating these things, I urge you to visit my own memorial website honoring the fallen in WW2, including one of my own brothers. There are 8 pages in all , six of which contain beautiful photos and information concerning 12 different cemeteries in foreign lands where our GI’s were buried during the horrific WW2. It will be well worth your time if indeed, you do care that these individuals gave their life, that we might live in a free nation. May God be merciful towards each one.

To visit the site, Click Here.  To view a huge listing of statistics of all our wars you might also want to visit This Site. 

 
Author Biography: Joel Hendon was born near Gadsden Alabama. He attended public schools in Cherokee County, Alabama and after serving a tour of duty in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, attended Jacksonville State University, majoring in Business Administration. He became a Christian in 1948, and although he followed secular work as a career and retired from Allied Signal Aerospace, he is an avid student of the Holy Bible and related works as well as biblical history. He has an extensive website of conservative religious and political articles.http://hebronics.org/index.html

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Christofer French
 345 days 12 hours ago.
73 fans.
Timely, fitting, and heart felt. I will make a point of visiting your site. Thanks for sharing your own personal closeness to these issues. Keep hanging in there, Joel.
» left by Joel Hendon 345 days 4 hours ago.
126 fans.
Thank you very much Christofer, I do appreciate your thoughtful remarks.
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