Memorial Day

As Memorial Day 2015 approaches I remember and pray for Judd Spainhour, Joe Loughran, Brad Collins, J. J. Carroll, and the men of Kilo 3/3 who didn't come home. The following story comes from my devotional, Stories of Faith and Courage from the Vietnam War:

Veterans of the Battle of Khe Sanh continue to hold reunions to renew old friendships and share their experiences in one of the war’s bitterest fights. They also keep the memory of fallen comrades alive. At a gathering to commemorate the start of the battle one veteran wrote a simple but eloquent message appropriate for all Memorial Days:

Khe Sanh Veterans know there is a place in the world during the month of January, where it’s foggy and cold with towering mountains looking down onto a small, isolated plateau, hallowed by many and surrounded by deep green jungle, where the many souls were of those who did not return. While in other places, it’s relatively warm, the sun is out and shining from a rich blue sky onto the faces of aging men who remember that time so long ago when they were young, and are grateful now, that they no longer have to suffer through the deprivation and hardship they once experienced. Aging men and comrades who remember those who did not return, and on this most appropriate day, honor their memory.

    May God bless all those who did not return home from this war. Memorial Day is a time to remember and to honor them. For many of us, it is a bittersweet memory. Even though we remember fondly all the good times, the loss of friends and fellow Marines was tragic and heart breaking, and these feelings dim little with time. There is also a measure of guilt that somehow we made it back, and they did not. We can only hope that we have made our lives count for something and used the time we’ve been given in a way that honors their sacrifice. For families that lost husbands, fathers, or sons, the tragedy is even more intense. I pray that God will give all of us who remember and mourn on this day an eternal perspective on these events and the faith that these brave men are resting in true peace with him.

The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. ~Isaiah 57:1

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