Memorial Day 2024

A US Army Chaplain leads a burial ceremony for an American officer who was killed in 1945 in Germany.

Of all the WWII photos I’ve ever seen, few do a better job of conveying the meaning of Memorial Day better than this one. A brave American soldier is laid to rest in foreign soil during the final months of the war in Europe. The simple casket resting beneath an American flag held by soldiers on foreign soil as a chaplain intones the solemn words of a prayer conveys everything we need to know about the meaning of the approaching holiday.

I am glad that we currently have a Commander-in-Chief who honors our military personnel and who will conduct a Memorial Day observance on Monday with dignity, respect, and gratitude. I am glad we currently have a Commander-in-Chief who would never belittle or mock those who proudly wear the uniform of the United State Armed Forces and who would never heap scorn on our honored dead who lie in graves across Europe and Asia. I am thankful that we have a Commander-in-Chief who knows firsthand what it is like to lose a loved one who served with honor overseas and is able to understand and console the families of our fellow Americans who have lost a relative that served in the US Armed Forces.

May we pause over this solemn holiday weekend to remember and give thanks for those brave men and women who stepped forward to serve our nation and, in the process, made the ultimate sacrifice. We owe them a debt that can never be fully repaid.

May we never forget what those brave Americans did on our behalf.

Happy Memorial Day.