Salemsborg Lutheran Church, south and a little west of Salina, Kansas, has had a long history of making Memorial Day special for the community but especially for military veterans and their families. It is an annual reminder of those who not only sacrificed for our country but those who paid the ultimate price. And as I’ve shared before, I’m reminded in particular of how many families in this small rural community sent so many young men off to fight in WWII. The often referred to “greatest generation” is slowly passing from the scene, and I fear, leaving a gap that is not in many ways being filled.
It’s not that we don’t have heroes from the Korean, Vietnam, and Middle East wars, but the numbers are much smaller. And with the political issues and coverage that accompanied them, there unfortunately isn’t that universal appreciation for the risks and sacrifices made. It is certainly not fair or right, but it is real and is being further complicated today with a military of men and women who volunteer. This makes it easy, too easy, for the masses to forget, to not appreciate, and not to fully take in what is going on in the very dangerous world in which we live.
So as we visit cemeteries this weekend, through Monday, and remember family and friends who have passed on, let us pause to reflect and appreciate the veterans who have given so much. And to make that more specific, press our elected officials representing us at the national level to get beyond all the positive talk in support of veterans to action: actually working together to get the right results. With everybody being, in talk, pro-veteran, surely one would think that support for our veterans can be non-partisan. And, as we recognize and honor their sacrifices, perhaps we can all take time to consider what we're each willing to contribute for the safety and well-being of our communities.
It’s not that we don’t have heroes from the Korean, Vietnam, and Middle East wars, but the numbers are much smaller. And with the political issues and coverage that accompanied them, there unfortunately isn’t that universal appreciation for the risks and sacrifices made. It is certainly not fair or right, but it is real and is being further complicated today with a military of men and women who volunteer. This makes it easy, too easy, for the masses to forget, to not appreciate, and not to fully take in what is going on in the very dangerous world in which we live.
So as we visit cemeteries this weekend, through Monday, and remember family and friends who have passed on, let us pause to reflect and appreciate the veterans who have given so much. And to make that more specific, press our elected officials representing us at the national level to get beyond all the positive talk in support of veterans to action: actually working together to get the right results. With everybody being, in talk, pro-veteran, surely one would think that support for our veterans can be non-partisan. And, as we recognize and honor their sacrifices, perhaps we can all take time to consider what we're each willing to contribute for the safety and well-being of our communities.
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