In Memory...Always

Memory is one of God's great gifts because it keeps alive the people and events of the past so we can, in a certain sense, relive and reappreciate them. We can also learn from these memories, since in hindsight they often provide lessons that teach us how to live better lives. Equally important, though, our memories can be shared with others, with future generations, so they too can benefit from the experiences that have formed us into who we are. We shouldn't, then, hide these memories, but should pass them on, telling the stories of those who have gone before us.

My everyday thoughts, and I expect yours too, are often interrupted by memories, some sought and many unbidden, memories that call me back to other times and places. But Memorial Day is different. On this day we make a conscious decision to remember some very special individuals: those who have sacrificed their lives for our country, for their fellow citizens, and for the timeless values enshrined in our Constitution. 

For many Americans these memories are very personal, reminding us of family members, other relatives, friends, and those with whom we served. For me, today calls to mind a long list that includes many friends, shipmates, and Naval Academy classmates who made the ultimate sacrifice, most during the Vietnam, conflict. I've probably mentioned some of these men in previous Memorial Day posts, but that's okay; we really can't mention them enough. Indeed, hardly a day passes when I don't think of some of them and pray for them and their families. Here are just a few.

2nd Lt Henry Wright, USMC, was a Naval Academy classmate (1967) and a friend. Henry, only 21, was our first classmate to lose his life in combat. Henry led a platoon to the relief of a company under attack south of Da Nang during the communist Tet offensive. He led an attack against heavily entrenched enemy positions and was mortally wounded while directing covering fire for the evacuation of wounded Marines. During the action he carried his wounded radioman to safety and tended to him until the arrival of a corpsman. Henry died on February 6, 1968...forever young.

Captain Ron Zinn, US Army, was my brother Jeff's West Point classmate (1962) and roommate. Because we lived only 50 miles from West Point, Ron often spent weekends at our home and treated me like a kid brother. (The photo is of Jeff and Ron on their graduation day.) Ron was an amazing young man, a world-class race walker who represented the USA in two Olympic games (1960 and 1964). But he was an Army officer first and during his tour in Vietnam, he died as a result of small arms fire during a firefight in Gia Dinh province. Ron was only 26 when he died on July 7, 1965. My brother, Jeff, also a Vietnam vet, died on January 19, 2010 

There are many others, most of them classmates who died in Vietnam or while training for combat: Hal Castle, Bart Creed, Jim Hicks, Guido Carloni, Tom Lange, and so many more. And I have to add another classmate, Mike Smith, astronaut and pilot of the ill-fated Challenger space shuttle...all good men. How did Our Lord Jesus put it?

"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" [Jn 15:16].

We thank them all today and every day for their sacrifice; and we thank God for their letting us share in their lives.

Have a prayerful Memorial Day.

Memories of Heroes I've Known

I had to run  a few errands this morning and happened to be wearing an old Navy ballcap. When I entered the local hardware store, the young lady who greeted me said, "Thank you for your service, especially today on Memorial Day." And when I went to the check-out area, another young woman said pretty much the same thing. Now, I realize they were being wonderfully patriotic and were also expressing thanks for the years I spent in the Navy, so I just smiled and said, "Thanks. But today remember those who didn't return."

Today, Memorial Day, is not a day to honor veterans. We do that in November. And it's not a day to express delight in a three-day weekend or the opportunity to welcome the coming of summer by rolling out the barbeque grill. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, a day to honor some very special people: men and women who sacrificed their lives in the defense of our nation and its sovereign citizenry. In fact, I've never been happy with the decision by Congress back in 1968 to move Memorial Day from May 30 to the last Monday of May. Making a three-day weekend out of what should truly be a sacred day -- a secular holy day, if you like -- just seemed to de-emphasize its meaning, to water it down. 

I'd like to think that for most Americans Memorial Day is also a day of prayer, a day in which we offer prayers of thanksgiving for the gift of these heroes. Because that's what they are. They are God's gift to the rest of us, for through their sacrifice we continue to reap and share the bounty of this unique nation. God has certainly blessed us and it's so very sad to see so many today who, through remarkable ignorance, despise the nation founded on the principles that enable them to express their hatred publicly without fear of retribution.  

Today I remember many men I knew and some few whom I counted among my friends. Most were Naval Academy classmates (Class of 1967) who lost their lives in Vietnam or during training in preparation for combat. I count the following among my friends. If you click on their names, you can read their stories. 

Henry Wright, 21, a dedicated Marine officer, the first of our classmates to lose his life in Vietnam on February 6, 1968. 

Hal Castle, 23, a fellow helicopter pilot, shot down in South Vietnam.

Bart Creed, 25, an A-7 pilot, shot down over Laos. 

Jim Hicks, 26, Guido Carloni, 24, and Tom Lange, 25, each lost his life in an aircraft accident during training for deployment to Vietnam. 

And then there was Ron Zinn, 26, my brother Jeff's West Point roommate, class of 1962. Ron, who treated me like a kid brother, was a world-class race walker and died in a 1965 firefight in Vietnam. 

Chuck Jeffries, 28, killed in an ambush by communist insurgents in the Philippines in 1974.

And I have to add another friend who survived combat tours in Vietnam. Classmate Mike Smith, 40, astronaut and space shuttle pilot, died in the Challenger disaster. 

There were many, many others, classmates and shipmates, far too many to mention here, but all remain in my prayers. Take some time today to remember those you have known who gave their lives so you could live the life you have lived.