LETTER: Honoring our fallen heroes on Memorial Day 2013

by May 20, 2013OPINIONS0 comments

By L.H. Harding

The purpose of Memorial Day is a noble one, to honor America’s fallen.  Those freedoms that we sometimes take for granted, are reminders of their ultimate sacrifice and of our debt to them, a debt that we can never repay.  It’s hard to complain about the high cost of anything this weekend as we remember the high cost they paid for us all.

On Memorial Day we mourn our fallen and remember their legacy of courage and the future that they have given us.  The flag draped coffins of our fallen heroes bear witness to the noble sacrifice they have made for us.

The questioning eyes of their widows and orphans haunt us through their tears.  On behalf of a grateful nation we pledge to them to work for greater peace, greater unity and greater forgiveness.  To those families we pledge to open the doors of our hearts to each other to work to heal our communities, our nation and our world.  We owe this to them and to our children.

On this day and every day, those who have died for us would ask no less.  They live in our history, reside in our hearts, and rest forever in the arms of God.  God bless their families.  God bless our veterans and God bless our great nation.

Come and be with us at 11am on Monday, May 27 at the Yellowhill Veterans Memorial Cemetery to honor our fallen.  You will be glad you did.

Harding is the Commander of the Steve Youngdeer American Legion Post 143 in Cherokee.