Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a time of remembrance. It is a time to honor those who gave their lives in defense of the United States of America.

Today, America stands as a beacon of hope, because there were those who decided the freedom of others was worth their lives.

We honor those who showed self-forgetfulness and sacrifice. We honor the heroes of America. As it was once said "A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with freedom."

America has seen times of prosperity and peace, and it has seen times of difficulty and war. And throughout every battle and hardship, there were those who said this country was worth fighting for. There were those who said, "This country is worth my life."

It is those who have stood up for freedom and paid its price that we honor on Memorial Day. We pause to remember the fallen soldiers of this country who stood strong to the end.

They followed the advice of Winston Churchill when he said,

"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

May no one ever claim that what they did was easy. For it is in conflict that one is defined. As Martin Luther King Jr. said,

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort or convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

A person is defined by how he or she responds in moments of hardship and conflict. A nation is defined not by how it acts in times of peace, but by how it responds in times of crisis. The times our nation has faced war have shown what our nation is made of. These times have shown what our values are, and what we stand for as a nation.

What does America stand for? It stands for liberty and justice for all. John F. Kennedy said,

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty."

Those who died in defense of this nation showed themselves true and strong when they stood in defense of liberty.

They believed the words of Ronald Reagan when he said,

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day, we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States when men were free."

To understand our response to the sacrifice that has been made on our behalf, we must consider the definition of freedom. It is far more than just being able to do what we want. Freedom is better defined in the words of Abraham Lincoln when he said,

"Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought. Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.

This weekend, we pause and remember the fallen heroes of the United States of America. We honor them. We celebrate the precious freedom that we have in this country. But when this weekend ends, the question remains: How will you live in light of those who died for the liberty you enjoy and cherish?

Let it be in a way that understands that freedom is never free. It was bought at a price. And that freedom is a freedom to do what is right.